Uzushiogakure Reborn (old version)
by Mewrlise
Summary: Death was boring. At least for her. Seriously, nothing happened. Not that she was complaining. The cards she was dealt were not bad. So there was nothing stopping her from playing. What? Was she meant to follow a script? No thank you, life was not meant to be lived that way. [SI/OC]
1. Reborn

**A/N: Realised that there was no disclaimer so here we go: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS I JUST USE THEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF CREATING HOPEFULLY ENTERTAINING MATERIAL**

 **Beta: The wonderful Prince Nemui has been kind and wonderful enough to beta read for me. Thank you so much dear!**

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 **Book 1: Rising from the Ashes**

The first thing that came to her mind when thinking about death, was that is was completely anticlimactic.

Really.

After all… there was no white light, no flashback, no creepy death reaper… nothing.

Even now, dead as she was, nothing was happening. It was just the impenetrable darkness… which rendered her unable to see a bloody thing and left her completely bored.

'If this is how I'm going to be spending eternity,' she thought, 'then I will certainly go crazy… and jump the first deity that would finally deign to visit me and demand an explanation.'

She was dead, so what did it matter if she attacked a god?

Then, a thought crossed her mind: 'What if I'm wrong? What if I'm not in limbo or whatever, but hell? It would explain everything…torture by boredom!' Yup, she was going crazy.

She really didn't think that she had been so bad in her previous life, not enough to deserve this.

Sure, she had been lazy, but she really just blamed her parents for that.

"Don't run, you will hurt yourself," were her father's favourite words. "Stop acting like that. You're a lady," her mother would nag. Till eventually, she just gave up, and wasted time reading and watching anime. With the occasional thought of 'I should maybe revise,'.

Of course, she knew that in the end if she was really dissatisfied with her life, she should have worked to change it. However, she also had no motivation, so after finishing university she went on living her unassuming life.

Even so, surely that sort of lifestyle was not worthy of a one-way ticket to Tartarus.

'No matter,' she thought, 'surely something will happen at some point. I'll just have to continue… existing, 'till then.'

Plus, she still had access to her memory, thus she could still indulge in imaginary fanfiction.

Yes, it would have to do for now.

-Some time later-

It hurt…a lot.

Her head, that is. And she was pretty sure that her soul did as well, if that was possible.

The girl was correct in her assumption that something would eventually happen.

What?

She was not certain. It felt like she was violently sucked from wherever she was previously, and then left in this new location.

Where is this place?

She had no idea, however it was still dark, and…wet? ' _The actual hell?_ '

When suddenly a terrifying thought, —born from having read excessive amounts of fanfiction— crossed her mind, causing her to squirm. It only served to build up her dread when she realised that she wasn't in full control of her body.

…

No.

Nada, nope, _nu_.

'This is _not,_ happening,' she vehemently refused.

She didn't want to entertain the possibility of her theory to be true…though…she was the kind of person who believed in possibilities, however improbable they might be.

Or at the very least she gave them some thought before completely refuting them.

And if this was indeed what she thought it was…. 'I'm _so_ screwed.'

-8 months later-

 _It_ was happening.

She spent a long time attempting to find alternative explanations for what she was experiencing but her mind hit a blank each time she tried.

She was reborn.

To be more exact, she was being reborn…

 _right_ ,

 _now_.

Ha! All those people who adamantly believed reincarnation is a very real possibility? That, there was life after death?

They were _all_ correct.

 _Every._ S _ingle._ O _ne of them_.

Only now, she had the unpleasant honour of _knowing_ that.

She was pretty sure that peoples' souls needed to have their memories wiped before being reborn. A fresh start, a blank slate and all that. After all, behaviourist psychology was big on the belief that everyone is born a tabula rasa* and all that. But of course, she just had to go ruin that and remember her old life, 'Yippie me.'

Not that she hated her previous life or anything, but if she was going to be reborn it might as well be to a completely new life, without the weight of a previous one at the back of her mind.

Turning her attention back to the present, the girl noted that her mother was a screamer.

Not that she was one to talk, since she was doing her fair share of screaming as well. Really, she felt bad for causing the woman this much pain. 'At least it was a fast birth,' she thought.

When the birth was eventually over, frantic hands were cleaning her and she eventually found herself in the arms of who must be her mother.

She couldn't distinguish the woman's features, all that she could see was a big, moving…blob, 'Isn't baby vision wonderful,' she thought dryly, still a bit miffed at having to actually know that she had to be born, _again_.

And be aware of it.

Sleep attempted to claim her, and she was desperately fighting to stay awake. Maybe gain some clue about where she was. But everyone around her was talking, their voices blending together making it impossible for the girl to attempt and figure out what they were saying.

Add that to the fact that her newborn body was exhausted after the ordeal it went through… it was no wonder that sleep won.

-5 months later-

Being a baby _sucked_ , big time.

Her coordination was appalling, and she could only make vague gurgling sounds most of the time.

At last she could finally stand up on her own! Kind of. She tired easily, and crawling took far less energy.

She was also rather proud when she began understanding bits of what her family was saying. They were speaking Japanese, a language which she attempted to learn, but only got the hang of the basic vocabulary. However, it was enough for her to be certain that they were indeed speaking said language.

'Well, I guess that I will at least be able to learn it properly this time around,' she thought.

She had also learnt that her new name was Michiko. It proved to be a never ending source of amusement to her family when she tried, and epically failed, to pronounce her own name.

Seriously, her tongue was useless, and her vocal cords were crap.

Her family was nice and small. Consisting of her mother, a slender woman, with ridiculously long hair that she kept in a high ponytail —it still reached her ankles— and really dark blue eyes. Her name, from what she heard the others calling her, was Natsumi. The woman was certainly kind, spending hours playing with Michiko and keeping her somewhat entertained, and like everyone else, she would take the time to point at objects and say their name.

It was for those moments that she thanked whatever deity was meant to look after her that she didn't know the language. It kept her busy and entertained trying to learn it.

Her father was a strongly built man that had to be at least three heads taller than her mother. He was a giant! But despite his build he gave off the aura of a cuddly teddy, with his wide smiles and bright green eyes. Takeshi was his name, and like her mother he had long hair —no where near her mother's ridiculous length— that he kept in a high braid and ended at his shoulder blades. Michiko could also see and feel the muscles he had, nothing like the body builders she remembered seeing occasionally in magazines. No, her father was more on the lean side, with a very defined face, he reminded her a bit of a fairy tale prince —if she was being completely honest.

And finally, her grandmother, a kind old woman who would always try and teach her things, and who Michiko decided must have divine patience because she took her sweet time trying to learn certain things.

'Ah, the disadvantage of having another language already hard-wired into your brain,' she thought.

The woman, she believed, was called Ayaka. She was the same height as her mother, meaning that her father was the uncontested giant of the house, and the same dark blue eyes. However her face was more oval than her mother's round one, and her nose was slightly longer, whilst her mom had a small button nose. Ayaka also had shorter hair, how short she wasn't certain as she woman kept hers in a braided bun.

She loved her new family, really.

And that, was an interesting concept. Not that she felt love, but, that she had become so deeply attached to them already. _Already_ , Michiko couldn't even image _not_ knowing these people.

They were family. They were safe, and they were so _warm_.

It did make a small part of her feel guilty. For moving on so fast from her old loved ones. But it was only a small part, and she ignored it.

 _This_ was her life now, _this_ was her family, and _nothing_. Absolutely _nothing_ , would make her feel guilty for loving her family.

Although, Michiko noted that there was something... odd about her family, or their genetics at least.

They _all_ had red hair.

And not the ginger kind either.

No, they all had solid red hair, like…tomatoes.

Well, maybe that wasn't quite right.

Her father had really dark red hair, while it was her mother that had the bright, in your face, red, which her grandmother shared, although hers was showing signs of fading.

'Huh, I wonder if my hair is red too,' she wondered.

-1 year later-

Her first clue should have really been the hair.

Though, in her own defence, basing an assumption simply on hair colour would have been ridiculous, even for her.

Instead, Michiko's first, _proper_ clue, came from her grandmother, Ayaka, who with a map spread out before them, showed her their location and which countries they shared a border with.

Apparently she was born in Yu no Kuni (The Land of Hotsprings), their neighbours were: Shimo no Kuni (The Land of Frost), Ta no Kuni (The Land of Rice), and finally Hi no Kuni (The Land of Fire), one of the largest countries displayed on the map. Further up, towards the north-east side was another giant, Kaminari no Kuni (The Land of Lightning). And as she explored the map with her eyes, Michiko could feel the beginning of a headache.

There was something about this map, and those names, that felt so familiar… but for the life of her she couldn't fathom why. And it frustrated her to no end.

And yes, she realised that this was not Japan. Or even her previous world for that matter. The geography presented on the map was vastly different from the one she remembered her old world to have had.

Michiko's second clue, the one that really nailed her metaphorical "coffin" shut, was learning her surname,

Uzumaki.

'I am so painfully screwed it's not even funny,' she thought, still slightly dazed by the information.

In this life she was Uzumaki Michiko, from the clan renowned over their mastery of fūinjutsu, long live spans, massive chakra reserves and red hair.

And did she learn this from her family? Pff, no. It was all information from her previous life. In which this amazing clan belonged to one manga artist, Kishimoto.

'I got born in the bloody Narutoverse… I'm so dead,' she thought pitifully.

-2 years later-

Almost 4 years old and she was the pride and joy of her family. "A prodigy in the making," Takeshi, sighed one day.

'Not true,' she thought. After all, she had the advantage of retaining her former knowledge, not that she planned on telling anyone that.

It wasn't really her speech that prompted her father to say that, but rather her high cognitive abilities.

She only lived with her family, so it was not like it would endanger her to act smarter than her physical age would normally dictate. Being a child was bad enough. Compromising her intelligence would have been too much.

It wasn't like she was debating philosophy with them, her vocabulary not quite there yet for that. But rather that Michiko would not hide when she understood something. It would be meaningless to waste time, having something constantly explained when she understood it, or knew it beforehand.

Imagine all the things she could learn with all that extra time!

Hence why her parents stopped protesting when Ayaka wanted to up her studying. Which was fine with Michiko, she loved learning. Especially if it involved the history of this world, or her clan's.

Her clan, it was still an odd thought. She hadn't met any other Uzumaki, yet…she felt connected to them. To people she hadn't even heard of before, but, that shared her blood.

When she finally pressured her family to talk about their clan, Michiko was only slightly surprised by what she learnt.

Apparently she was born approximately four years after the destruction of Uzushiogakure. Which led to her finding out that her family was not particularly fond of Konoha —hence why they didn't seek refuge there— as they did not come to their aid when requested, despite them always doing their best to help said village and honour the treaty made between the Senju and Uzumaki all those years ago.

Takeshi also explained that as a result of that incident, the clan —whoever survived— was scattered across the lands, either seeking refuge or hiding. As they were still being hunted for their bloodline and fūinjutsu knowledge.

It did explain why they lived on the outskirts of the country, in a forest.

Michiko also learnt that both her parents were ninja and that when they ventured outside it was to do odd jobs or hunt small bounties nearby to earn money.

When she asked to go exploring the surrounding forest, Michiko was met with a resounding no, that left her partially surprised till Natsumi explained that with the war going on, it would be far too dangerous for her to be on her own.

It definitely confirmed her suspicion about being born during the third shinobi world war. It made sense, but she was glad to be able to confirm it.

Though, it most definitely made her fear for their safety even more, whenever they went out.

Food itself wasn't much of an issue, they had a small garden where they grew vegetables and herbs, and as for meat…Takeshi was well versed in hunting, and set up several traps around the forest.

Albeit, Michiko had her doubts about whether or not all the traps set up were for catching game.

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 **A/N: Well there we go. My first go at a SI story. I have one more SI that I am writing and hoping to post soon as well as just another story with a regular OC in it. Seriously I know I shouldn't be starting so many stories, especially with my other ongoing one and my limited time. But I really need to get these ideas out of my head or I will go crazy.**

 **Please tell me where and what I need to improve and your general opinion on this story?**

 **What kind of vibe does it give you?**

 **Right, so I am very bad at spotting mistakes since I type fast and english is not my first language. I know, I know not a good enough reason but it's the truth. And I swear that I do proofread them! So what I am trying to say is...if you spot any obvious or really annoying grammar/spelling errors would you mind telling me?**

 **I am not the kind that takes offence from that, if anything I will thank you for helping me improve this little project of mine.**

 **Anyway, enjoy reading!**


	2. First visit

**A/N: I did not expect such a wonderful reaction to this story!**

 **Thank you very much for the interest and support you have shown in this story. I admit that I was not planning on updating so soon, having planed to write the intro of a different story but I wanted to write this as thank you, for everyone that read, reviewed and favourited this story!**

 **Beta: The amazing prince nemui who has been so kind as to bother with this story**

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 **-1 year later-**

Michiko was silently debating the wisdom of what she was about to do.

At four years and five months of age, her parents decided it was time she received some training. _Ninja_ training.

Whether or not she chose to take it further and become a proper shinobi would be up to her discretion, and her family promised to help as much as they could. It was rather humbling to know that already, her family respected her opinions and took them into account.

But she needed at least basic training for self protection. No debate there.

Michiko had been born in the world where she knew she could come into danger. Sure, she didn't have to intervene in any plot. That is, if this world actually followed the script she knew.

After all, this could be an alternate universe that simply resembles the one she had read about.

However, regardless of the truth, there was a war happening. And while she knew her parents were doing everything in their power to make sure it did not touch her, should push come to shove she refused to be dead weight.

And in all honesty, she did not want to end up like Karin. As far as she could remember, Kusa abused her and her mother, due to their healing abilities, which was an ability some pure blooded Uzumaki were capable off.

Therefore Michiko changed and went outside to train with her parents, no protest. Although, looking at them now … 'oh this was going to hurt, _a lot_ ,' she thought.

Her parents were the eccentric kind. Her father more obviously than her mother, and it reflected in their fighting styles as well.

'What ninja uses a guan dao?' Was the first thing Michiko thought, looking at her father and his massive polearm.

It was as tall as him, looked heavy, had a curved blade with a tassel and a sharpened end. It looked awesome, if only slightly ridiculous, especially if you were not trying to gather attention.

Looking at his daughter's incredulous expression, Takeshi couldn't help the maniacal grin that spread across his face.

Her mother on the other had looked down right terrifying. With a closed eyed smile and her glowing chains behind her. The chakra emitted also caused her hair to cascade around her, adding to the demonic imagery.

Just as she was debating the pros and cons of running away, Takeshi said:

"Now lets see how fast you are Michiko-chan!… Oh, and also how good you are at dodging. Ready? Set," he never got to finish as she made a run for the forest, not willing to see what would happen if she waited till the 'go'.

All apprehension she might have had initially turned into pure terror as she ran. Her father's mad cackling following while her mother was silent like a ghost.

'I'm so dead,' she thought.

 **-2 years later-**

Takeshi sighed while looking at his little girl. It was a sunny day and Michiko was outside with her grandmother practicing fūinjutsu. It was expected, after all, for an Uzumaki to know the art —even a little— it practically ran in their blood.

This idea was proved by the fact that nobody pushed Michiko to learn it. Sure, Ayaka, might have mentioned it a couple of times, but he and Natsumi practically forbid the woman from teaching Michiko unless she showed signs of wanting to learn it herself.

Which she did, she wasn't to confident in the beginning. Nonetheless, in the end, Michiko took to fūinjutsu like a duckling took to water.

It made them all happy seeing her so devoted to training. It made Takeshi feel a little better knowing that should the worse happen, his daughter would be able to take care of herself.

And _that_ , was what bothered Takeshi.

Michiko was mature for her age, and he used to joke when she was younger that she was a prodigy in the making. Now, he was not so certain that it could be called a joke anymore.

Natsumi had already started training Michiko in using the adamantine sealing chains. Normally a child should not be able to pull of such a jutsu. As a matter of fact they shouldn't even attempt such a thing till they were older. When their chakra system was more developed and they had more chakra.

True, it was unfair to compare Michiko to other children, since she was an Uzumaki and this was a blood specific jutsu —they naturally had more chakra that most people.

Michiko was already able to physically manifest them. Therefore her training was focused on learning how to control and extend their range.

She was six years old!

A six year old that could manifest _pure_ chakra chains, understand complex fūinjutsu and even give her own political view on the world whenever she caught them talking about the war. 'She should be too young to have a bloody political view!' Takeshi thought despairingly, looking at his laughing baby girl and wishing that he could just stop time.

Michiko was growing up too fast, and it wasn't just his overprotective fatherly side that believed this either. Natsumi and Ayaka could see it too.

It was, while thinking such thoughts, that he decided, Uzushiogakure's destruction was a cursed blessing.

After all, should they have still lived there Michiko would have been already sent out on the field. The war still very much in full swing. 'And I couldn't have prevented it,' he thought darkly.

As it was, mature as his little girl was, she still deserved a childhood.

Sure there were no other children for her to play with —which often saddened them all— but Michiko was a happy child, far more childish then one would expect after being given a description of her.

Actually now that he was thinking of it, she was really just a child.

She would always ask questions. About everything and nothing, and she would look at them like they held the world's knowledge safely sealed in their brains.

Oh, and she was mischievous. She'd gotten that from him, and he was damn proud to brag about it. Always attempting to sneak up on them or pull a prank. Unfortunately for her, in a house full of sensors, that didn't usually work out.

Not to mention she had an opinion on _everything_. Yes, she was cheeky and she would run her mouth at times before thinking, but she always, _always_ had a point.

'Yeah, she's a child,' he thought, smiling softly at the pair before him.

It was just… _this feeling_ that he would get, Natsumi and Ayaka too. That Michiko was not as oblivious as they wished she was at this age. They would often catch this, _look_ , on her face, as if she was thinking of something terribly complex. And not the kind that generated frustration necessarily, more like Michiko was contemplating the universe itself. It was an expression that was capable of ageing her a good couple of years.

And it was a look that he only saw on people that couldn't understand their place in the world. Takeshi prayed to every Kami that Michiko wasn't depressed. Prayed that this stupid war would end already so that they could take Michiko out of this forest. Take her to see the world and meet others her age.

Takeshi knew that she would eventually want to leave, explore the world and meet new people. It terrified him that at the pace she was going that time would come sooner than he might like.

'Just please let this war end.'

And he _knew_ that he couldn't stop her. He could only train her, love her unconditionally and give her his support.

A jubilant scream brought Takeshi out of his musing. Turing his attention back to where his daughter and mother-in-law were, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

Michiko was jumping about, doing some sort of silly victory dance. 'Ah, she got that seal done too,' he thought fondly.

His daughter will be fine.

His family will be fine.

He vowed that he would make sure that they all lived long and happy lives, and he would get to see his grandchildren and…

Wait.

Grandchildren? 'Oh hell no,' he thought.

Giving a mighty battle cry he leaped off their porch, gathering his daughter in his arms, —much to her and Ayaka's surprise— and ordered her to never, ever, grow. And that no snot-nosed brat was coming near his baby.

He didn't care about Ayaka's amused snort , or that his wife was rolling her eyes as she came from tending the garden.

All he could think of was that some no-faced bastard will come thinking he could take his little girl.

If you couldn't guess, Takeshi was the overprotective kind.

 **-5 months later-**

Today was a big day.

Today was the day Michiko's father promised to take her to see Uzushiogakure.

It took a lot of convincing, whining, begging, debating and screaming, till finally, the puppy dog eyes conquered and she "persuaded" her family to allow this trip to happen.

Michiko knew that it was selfish of her, after all, the war was still going on and this would just make everyone worried about one another.

Ayaka said that the disagreements between Iwa and Konoha were growing worse and worse as the days passed.

More importantly she knew that visiting the place that once served as their home wouldn't be easy on Takeshi.

However she _needed_ to see where they came from, where her family was born, were they grew up.

It was an odd feeling. One that she couldn't properly verbalise. It was as if something was dragging her there, pleading with her to listen. Initially, Michiko tried to ignore it, after all it wasn't like Uzushiogakure was going to go anywhere. She could wait out the war and go then. But the more she thought about it the more frustrated the girl became.

It could also because she finally snapped.

Michiko had never been further than a mile from their house and even then her parents were always nearby. She was… restless, but thought that she could bear with it, for her family's sake, who she was aware were constantly worried.

Who wouldn't? There was a war happening around them and Yu no Kuni was right smack between Hi no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni, and Kumo was probably Konoha's second worst enemy.

Of course they would not have to travel through the country. The ruins of Uzushiogakure were not that far, all things considered. They already lived on the outskirts of the country, near Haran bay, so reaching a port wouldn't be all that difficult.

They were going to make their way south, towards the capital, get whatever supplies they might need —the biggest consumption in this household that they needed money for was ink and scrolls — and from there it would be a straight journey towards one of the smaller harbours, where they would hopefully find someone willing to take them to Uzu no Kuni (Land of Whirlpools).

All in all, if everything went according to plan, it should take them a little under a week to get there.

Before leaving, Michiko brushed her shoulder-length red hair, and braided it so that it wouldn't bother her while travelling. She dressed in a dark green, long-sleeved kimono, that ended above her knees, with dark tights and a pair of standard blue sandals. She took only one moment to check herself in the mirror to make sure that she was ready.

Michiko remembered the first time she saw her reflection, her own eyes having scared her, since she had never seen a human with blood red eyes before, unless they were wearing contacts. The girl semi-expected to look like one of her parents, and while she had red hair like them —unsurprisingly— and she could point out individual features that she had gotten from either Natsumi or Takeshi, as a whole she didn't look like a miniature version of either of them. Her nose was long and straight, resembling her grandmother's, with an oval face, chubby cheeks and dark red hair, just a few shades lighter than her father. She had heard Ayaka and Natsumi saying that she looked more like her grandfather, —much to Takeshi's childish displeasure. It was from him that she apparently inherited her red eyes as well, and the only picture she had seen of the man was from her grandmother's locket. It was taken when her mother was younger than her, and she marvelled at how tiny Natsumi looked surrounded by her parents. But she could see why they said she looked like the man, he had really long red hair, kept in a high ponytail —must be where her mother got her own hairstyle— with dark red eyes and a very charming smile.

He had died early on in the invasion, and that locket was the only thing her mother and grandmother still had of the man. 'Another reminder of everything which was lost,' she thought, glumly.

Nevertheless, ready for travel, Michiko said her goodbyes to the two women of the house who opted to stay behind.

It made Michiko feel vaguely guilty, seeing a flash of want pass through their eyes but stubbornly hiding it. She wondered if it was too painful to return, just to see the wreckage of what once was their home. She wondered if her father felt the same, and her chest tightened, but like everyone else she bore it stubbornly. Having already made her decision, she refused to back down now.

Natsumi and Ayaka fussed over them for a bit and promised excruciating pain if the two didn't return in one piece.

A promise, Michiko knew them capable of keeping.

 **-2 days later-**

Takeshi told her that they were almost at the capital and a part of Michiko pouted at that fact. For the past two days, they had been travelling through the forest, using the "ninja highway" and jumping from branch to branch. Sticking to the trunks of the tree with chakra if needed.

In other words, it was fun! It was the most fun Michiko had ever had, and it showed, as she stared, pointed and laughed at various things on their journey.

This, was likely the first time Michiko truly felt like she was her physical age of seven. Being outside was so exhilarating, even though her father was a bundle of nerves and solid concentration at the beginning of their journey, he relaxed as Michiko's good mood rubbed off on him.

Takeshi was a big softie, and he goofed off along with his daughter, teaching her about the fauna around them as they travelled. However, that did not mean that he was not constantly on his guard.

He was ready to spring in action at the first sign of a foreign chakra signal, muscles tense despite his relaxed appearance.

Michiko despite her good mood and jubilance was, much like her father, on high alert. Ready to help defend themselves if the need ever arose.

She had several, hand made, paper bombs stashed in her holster, which rested on her right thigh, a pouch on her lower back, held some basic medical supplies, along with her ink and paintbrushes, ninja wire and several empty scrolls all neatly sealed in a scroll. But, her most important weapon, was sealed in a separate scroll, which she stashed in her right sleeve. It was her personal guan dao, a gift, from her father when she turned five.

She admittedly looked a bit ridiculous when wielding her weapon. As it was a good twenty inches taller than her, but she loved it all the same. Thus Michiko trained with it every day, to build up her strength, and increase her speed so as to not be hindered by its weight.

"Psst, who needs kunai or shuriken, when you have a massive polearm that you could slice your enemies in two with?" Was Takeshi's defence when she asked about his choice in weapon.

Having reached the city, they made their way to the marketplace. At this point, Takeshi was holding her hand so that she wouldn't get lost.

Something that wouldn't normally be a problem, since she could sense her parent's chakra immediately while in the forest.

But here? On the crowded streets, when her mind was too preoccupied absorbing the scenes her eyes captured? Michiko would get lost in two seconds flat.

Although, in her defence, she had never been around this many people in this life, and her memories from her previous life were already rather hazy.

Michiko could only be glad, that she thought of writing down everything she believed vital, —in english of course— and then seal the scroll containing the information. Carrying it with her at all times.

'Ah, the beauty of fūinjutsu,' she thought lovingly.

They didn't spend too much time in the capital's market, her father moved swiftly, buying what they needed and then leaving. Once in the forest again he sealed their items within a scroll (told you fūinjutsu was amazing) and they were good to go.

On their way to the harbour, a genuinely more relaxed Takeshi took this opportunity to train Michiko further, testing her in unfamiliar terrain, and chasing her around the forest, while she did her best to avoid him. Even using her chakra chains when he got to close.

"That's cheating!" He pouted.

"We're ninja, cheating is in the job description,' replied Michiko, sticking out her tongue. Which was a mistake, as that distraction caused him to take her by surprise, and the girl found herself thrown over her father's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

 **-3 days later-**

They were currently on the boat of an old man, who accepted to take them to along to Uzu no Kuni if they helped him transfer his cargo when they got there.

Michiko was glad to hear that they should reach the island tomorrow, because as much fun as it was travelling with her father she was eager to reach their destination. They were also very lucky and didn't encounter any problems on the way, and she really didn't want to push their luck further.

But what there was a need of, was most certainly a bath, as they haven't had one since leaving and she fell positively dirty.

Turning to look at the sea once again Michiko wondered how her mother and grandmother were faring. 'Hopefully nothing happened and they are fine.'

The next day, she had to be physically held down by her father, as she kept bouncing around the ship, the exited jitters she felt demanding a medium through which they could express themselves.

Rolling his eyes heavenwards, Takeshi apologised to the old man, who was laughing, saying that he was glad to have the company of such fun folk.

"See~ he thinks were fun," she said smugly, her eyes practically screaming that it was due to her, that they received such a positive review.

Reaching the harbour, they made due on their promise and relocated the man's cargo in the designated area. This had indeed gathered some attention, mainly towards Michiko who was a small girl carrying boxes that weighted at least twice as much as her.

Her father laughing and said a bit louder than strictly necessary that he was proud to have such a strong daughter.

"That's my girl! The _bone_ crusher."

Yeah… he was a tad overprotective.

"The _bone_ crusher! _Really_?" She hissed at her father.

Once done, they went to say their goodbyes before departing for Uzushiogakure when the words the old man said made them freeze on their spots:

"It's good to see that the Uzumaki are still going strong."

It made her father's fingers twitch and, carefully, inch towards his holster, where his kunais were. But he refrained, turned towards the man, and gave him one curt nod before disappearing, taking Michiko with him.

From there it was only a couple more hours before they reached their destination. For the first half of their journey Takeshi was quiet and Michiko tried her best to respect that. But, in the end, her curiosity won:

"How did he recognise that we are Uzumaki?" It was a legitimate question, after all they had their hair covered at all times, not taking a single risk while in the company of others.

It took a while before the man replied, heaving a sigh as he did so:

"I… have no idea, sweetie. But the Uzumaki were the main clan of Uzushiogakure. I am not surprised that he knew about our family, though… I don't know how knew about _us_."

From that moment the silence was broken, and her father began showing her various plants and trees that only grew on this land, explaining their properties and uses, he was quite the botanist.

"And this is a species of Walnut that you can only find in Uzu no Kuni…When I was a kid, my friends and I would climb these trees all the way to the top and gather the nuts when it was their season. Our mothers always scolded us since we would stain our clothes during the process," he said fondly.

A glance at her father revealed to Michiko that he was smiling, with a faraway look in his eyes. He must have been really homesick.

Not for the first time Michiko wondered if it was all right to have been so selfish. This place was bound to bring up memories, good and bad, and she didn't want to cause her dad any pain.

'Well, it is too late now. No point in crying over spilt milk,' she thought a bit sourly, her father's sharp intake of breath breaking her from her musings.

Looking up, Takeshi's gaze was pointedly fixed ahead, frozen on the spot. Following his line of sight Michiko had a _very_ , similar reaction.

There, a couple of feet in from them lay the ruins of Uzushiogakure.

Their home.

* * *

 **A/N: I can't promise to update like this but I will do what I can. Mock exams start soon soon...**

 **In replay to what grifman275 said, Michiko is approximately 7 years older than Itachi, as he was born closer to the end of the war. I have on my profile a time line for the Naruto-verse that I use for the purpose of my stories if you want to check it out.**

 **Her birthday is the 21st of March during the year 12 BKA(before Kurama's attack)**


	3. Uzushiogakure

**Beta: Prince Nemui is that awesome person**

 **Mild Edit: 02/01/17**

* * *

Takeshi and Michiko had finally arrived in Uzushiogakure.

As agreed upon before leaving they would not spend more than a week before leaving. (The child wasn't even certain her father could take staying so long in the ruined village.) Time during which she was allowed to explore —as long as she was careful.

Thus they were both wandering through the destroyed village, rummaging through rubble to see if they could find anything useful or of value. Even small things that were once part of their heritage and had survived the destruction and harsh weather.

It was actually her grandmother's idea. Just before they set out she told them:

"See if you can find anything. I have no doubt that many have already done so, looking for scrolls and other artefacts that contained our knowledge. However, anything you could find will be worth it. I would much rather they be returned back in our possession than fall into enemy hands."

Enemy, at this point, being anyone that was not Uzumaki.

It was a sad reality, but it was theirs. Their blood and abilities were still being sought after even after all these years. Probably more so than before due to the _rare_ factor.

And just like Ayaka said, a lot of their scrolls were likely taken, if not destroyed. There was apparently a large library in the East district of the village, however it was burned down by someone just before Uzushiogakure fell. Takeshi actually believed it was done by one of their own; to prevent their knowledge from being stolen.

While he went to check there and in the other notable places where information was likely to be stored, she went through the rubble that once upon a time was someone's home. After all, Michiko thought, these were more likely to have been ignored. Since, like Takeshi, the majority of people would go and raid the obvious places.

As she moved further North, Michiko reached a grim conclusion.

There was a distinct lack of remains.

It was hard to not see them, there were still present. Trapped beneath rubble or hidden. However Michiko didn't want to ignore them. These were all once people who lived here, who fought to defend their home, their families…they didn't deserve to be ignored.

So Michiko convinced her father that they should store them in a scroll and at the end of each day, pile them up and he could use a Katon jutsu to turn their bones to ash. Praying for their souls to have found peace.

And by doing this she knew without a shadow of a doubt that there were, indeed, far too few present within the ruins of the village.

Michiko wanted to believe that it meant several people were able to escape…but she was not that optimistic. The truth of the matter was that their bodies were likely taken, so that they may be analysed in foreign labs. It was the reality of those which possessed any kind of bloodline ability.

It was the second day and Michiko was inside one of the still standing houses that was closer to the outskirts of the once great village. At first glance there wasn't anything which looked important or interesting, if said house held such things before then someone thoroughly cleaned it.

However, just as she was about to leave, Michiko felt the tell-tale prickle of an active seal. It was faint, but impossible to mistake now that she focused on it. Following the chakra signature it emitted she found herself in the house's bedroom.

Sharpening her focus she frowned when she felt the signature coming from underneath the bed. Nevertheless, once Michiko moved said bed out of the way, she pulled back the carpet that was there as well and revealed a complex sealing array.

'Whoever lived here was sneaky,' she thought smugly. The girl got her ink and brush ready, analysing the seal's composition and trying to figure out how to break it.

Much to her frustration, the sun was already setting and she had barely removed the second protection layer. Having long since gone from curious to frustrated.

'This goes beyond basic protection,' she thought annoyed, 'this better hide the key to immortality or something, because if this was just to prevent anyone from discovering their porn stash I will rage.'

Michiko was so absorbed into analysing the third seal that she didn't even hear her father entering the room.

"Kyaaaa!" She shouted, surprised when Takeshi tapped her shoulder. The older man, on the other hand, was currently caught in a fit of laughter at his daughter's expense.

"Busy?" He asked, grinning at Michiko's attempt of glaring him into submission. 'In a couple of years that glare will look just like her mother's,' he thought fondly.

"Hmmm…lets see what this is," he said, "hand me a brush," obeying him without question she watched her father work. She marvelled at his confidence, it wasn't often that she saw him dabbling in fūinjutsu, as that was more Natsumi and Ayaka's area of expertise.

But it was clear that Takeshi did not lack training in the art.

"Oy, don't just stare, help out your old man," he said playfully, never taking his eyes off the seal.

The father-daughter pair managed to break the final seal layer after much work and some blood, —the final layer was a blood seal— revealing a hidden passage.

The part of Michiko that wasn't frustrated with how long it took to undo the seal, was awed at the sheer detail and effort put into creating those seals. Going as far as to seal a long lasting genjutsu in the final layer, something Takeshi and Michiko were unable to realise till the trap door was revealed.

Descending into the dark enclosure the girl squinted her eyes in an attempt to see in the darkness. It wasn't till Michiko reached the bottom of the staircase that her father used a mild fire jutsu to create a small fire ball in the palm of his hand, so that they were able to see what was around them.

Shelves from floor to celling were piled with scrolls and books.

"A-Amazing," she murmured, and her father could only nod in replay, mesmerised by the treasure trove that they had stumbled upon.

The pair set to work after Takeshi made a torch, which he stuck with chakra to the concrete floor. Carefully going through each scroll and book they found, sealing them away in a travel-scroll as they went.

They made a pile of books and scroll that were already sealed, so that they may look over them in the morning.

Sealing an already sealed object was not recommended unless you knew, _exactly_ , how the two seals would interact with each other. Failing to do so could damage both objects beyond repair and that was not something the two wanted to risk.

By now it was morning, Michiko and Takeshi having forgone sleep the previous night in exchange for going over the objects within the room.

It quickly became obvious —if the seal keeping this place secret was not obvious enough— that whoever lived here used to be a seal master. 'No, a genius,' Michiko thought in wonder. Most of the books here were actually diaries, counting a mix of nonsensical babble —as she had no context for the events described— and sealing formulas.

 _Original,_ sealing formulas. This was an actual treasure trove, not much use for those who didn't understand fūinjutsu, but for those that did…

Takeshi was currently outside, pouring over the sealed books and scrolls that they found in hopes of being able to seal them in a carrier scroll. And if his frustrated scream was anything to go by…he wasn't having much progress…or not fast enough. Which considering the seal protecting this place…yeah, Michiko could see why her father was not enjoying himself.

However, the youngest redhead had her own puzzle to deal with. And hers came in the form of a massive scroll, easily half of her size.

It was a dark-copper colour outlined in black, and locked down so tightly that it took over half an hour just to determine that it was not something she would be able to work on here. Even her father was puzzled by the seal when she showed him, but after some begging she persuaded her father to take the scroll with them. (What could go wrong with that?)

After all, there was no way that they could seal it, so the bulky scroll had to be carried. —and it was not light—

—.—.—.—

It was their last day in the old village. This morning Michiko noted that her father seemed bothered by something. He was pacing in the small kitchen of the house they had been using, hands mussing his hair.

Grabbing a nearby scroll she flung it at the man, not even surprised when his arm shot up to catch the projectile before it hit him. All the while having never looked up.

"Otō-chan…what's bothering you?" That made him pause. Takeshi finally looked at his daughter, worried green eyes meeting her own red ones.

"Would you like to see our old house?" He blurted as green eyes clashed with worried red ones.

Takeshi looked a bit worried after he blurted his question, however unless you knew him well enough to look for the signs you wouldn't have been able to tell. 'Is he worried that I would say no?' she wondered, looking at her father, 'Silly old man should know that I wouldn't abandon him when he needed me.'

When they arrived to, what Michiko assumed, was their destination, she was greeted by what once must have been a lovely home. Now, the roof was caved in, and the North wall was blown up, leaving her wondering how the house hadn't just —fully— collapse on itself.

Unlike the previous home they have been spending their time in, which was relatively intact, this house, situated far closer to what must have been the centre of the town, was not spared from destruction.

Michiko noted earlier that it was mostly the centre that was badly damaged, everything else was, in some shape or form, still usable, if suffering from severe cases of negligence. Some refurbishing, and a lot of the homes could be made human-friendly again.

That was actually… a bit odd.

While she understood focusing your attack on the heaviest populated area or where the most important pieces of infrastructure lay, the thing which struck Michiko as curious was the lack of damage from the point of entry.

The village was walled up after all, but she checked earlier on, and there was noting —obvious— which could clue in from which side the intruders had come from. Her father said it was likely that they infiltrated from the south-west, where the mountain chain cut through the village.

Uzushiogakure, if Michiko were to describe it, was more or less a giant walled up oval split in half by the Mogami river and the mountain chain cutting through the south-west corner.

Hence the lack of built wall in said area. 'No, that side must have had a different sort of protection, other than the mountains themselves, which would make it awkward for a large platoon of ninja to transverse it to reach Uzushio, even if there were used to the vegetation and rocky terrain. There would have likely been outposts strategically stationed there as well, and while Uzushio was never one of the big five, it was still a military village and nothing short of at least a small army would have caused the present damage.

'And an army, no matter how big or small, would have been stopped. If anything, they could have evacuated the majority of the people, or met the enemy at the mountain border and maintained most of the fight there. However, the relatively intact forest would attest that, no fight took place there,' she thought grimly, not for the first time wondering what the hell actually happened.

'There is also the question of _who_ attacked them,' she thought angrily, recalling the only instance where she asked that question out loud. She was meet by stony silence, and Ayaka, griping onto her tea cup far too tightly, replied in a cold tone that they didn't know.

Nobody did, apparently, and that just made this whole mess even more terrifying.

The seven year old was jolted out off her thoughts when she heard her father moving closer to inspect the damaged home. Michiko felt momentarily guilty for having been distracted, now of all times, when her father needed the support. Thus she quickly made her way to her father's side, warily eyeing the structure before them, not trusting it to not finally decide to fall on their heads the moment they stepped a toe in the genkan.

Most of the roof was collapsed, so they had to be careful when walking around. What must have been the kitchen was completely gone, as it was on the side the wall was blown off, similar to the dining room.

Takeshi spared them each a long pain-filled look that made Michiko feel a bit uncomfortable.

She hadn't grown up in this house, or even visited it before, in order to have any sort of memories that would make her attached to it. Not in the way Takeshi clearly was. So she couldn't share his pain. To Michiko, this was just another house, like all the others. It made her a bit awkward knowing that she was threading through someone else's home and looking through their stuff…but overall it was ignorable.

Or so she wanted to convince herself. However, she knew herself well enough to be able to discern that the tightness she felt wasn't only due to her father's obvious pain. It was because she could see what could have been, if things hadn't happened they way they did, or if Michiko was born sooner. _This,_ would have likely been her home.

There wasn't anything really left to salvage that wasn't destroyed in the attack or damaged beyond repair by nature and the passing of time. Water having made its way easily inside the house, with none to tell it otherwise, had destroyed everything which was paper.

They carefully walked on top of the rubble, the section of the house they were currently in having been fully exposed to the elements due to the missing roof. But, almost as if he was on autopilot, Takeshi made his way to a corner of what was once the living room.

He was atop the large pile of rotten wood, carefully distributing chakra into the pores of the material to keep it from caving under his weight, and seemed to be searching for something.

That something turned out to be old picture frames. They spent a good chunk of time looking through the rubble, both silent, concentrated on their task. Michiko gave up trying to move the rubble on her own.

Summoning her chains, 'why didn't I think of that before' she use them to gently rummage through the gaps in the debris. It was odd, trying to feel for things with only her chains and very little visual aid, especially since she never really knew if what she found was something useful —she still had no idea what Takeshi was looking for at this point.

But she did manage to find fragments of frames, destroyed and eroded, the pictures they must have once held long gone. And seeing the resigned posture of her father, her proud, strong, goofy father, Michiko felt tears gather in her eyes.

'It wasn't fair,' she thought despairingly. It wasn't fair that so many people had to suffer and die and be scattered across the globe. And for what? Nobody —which was limited to her family— even knew _who_ attacked them. Even the why was mainly guesswork. Sure it could be because their clan's fūinjutsu was so renowned…but the bloody Uzumaki were not the only ones that lived in the village.

They were the most prominent clan, she was told, but no amount of fūinjutsu prowess explained the level of pure savagery that went into this attack. Yes, quite a bit was more or less intact, but what was destroyed…? Was thoroughly _annihilated_.

By the end of their endeavour all they had to show from the old home was a long white flute. Takeshi found it and looked at in slight astonishment, before finally breaking down before his daughter.

It was the first time Michiko had seen Takeshi cry, and it was wrong.

Wrong, wrong, _wrong_.

And she didn't know what to do.

He wasn't the loud, sobbing kind, but the eerily quiet kind, that simply lay there with his head bent, tears streaming down his face while a tremor would pass through his body every now and then.

'It was wrong,' Michiko thought in agony over her father's pain. All she could do was crouch by his side, arms wrapping around his torso, and silently comfort him. She relaxed only when his arms reflexively wrapped around her, the white flute tightly clutched in his right hand.

A part of Michiko's mind duly noted that the flute was not made out of wood….'stone, perhaps?'

The next morning saw them packed and ready to go, the massive scroll strapped to Takeshi's back, and the flute from the previous day tied securely to his belt.

Before leaving they both took one last moment to look at the ruins from atop the wall. Michiko imagined how the village must have looked before. When it was full of people. Laughing, talking, arguing… _alive_. Something heavy settled over her heart. She wasn't fully aware of what it meant, but it made her fists clench so harshly it was painful.

Arriving home took significantly less time than their first journey. Having completely bypassed the capital, this time making a beeline for their house.

Only when they reached their house did Michiko realise how tense she had been.

Seeing her mother and grandmother outside, waiting for them, lifted an invisible weight off her shoulders that she hadn't even been aware of before.

Without wasting any time Takeshi leapt into his wife's arm, twirling the playfully exasperated woman around before making a show of planing wet kisses all over her face.

Michiko was glad that he regained some of his cheer on their way back, but nothing had fully lifted the sombre atmosphere till now.

However, even after hugging her grandmother till the poor woman couldn't breathe, Michiko couldn't stop the thought that had been plaguing her since they left Uzushiogakure.

'None of them deserved to go through that pain.'


	4. It begins

**Beta: The one and only Prince Nemui**

* * *

It was several weeks later when Michiko experienced a break from her day to day life.

She was outside with her mother, training her speed and dodging, as her mother launched chain after chain at her.

"An enemy will not show you any mercy. If they can't capture you, they will kill you." Was her mother's favourite statement.

Just as Natsumi was preparing to launch another chain and trap her daughter, she felt several chakra signatures heading towards them at high speed.

"Get inside the house. _Now_ "'

Not wasting a moment, Michiko ran inside to tell her father. When she found him he was already changed into his 'ninja gear,' guan dao in hand.

"Stay with your grandmother," he said. She attempted to protest, saying that she was able to help, but one look from him silenced her. Ayaka came to grab her by the shoulder.

"Come Michiko-chan, let us go activate the barrier seals," she didn't like this situation either, which was a given. They were all sensors and while Michiko was not nearly as trained, she could still easily feel the eight chakra signatures coming their way. Two of which were flickering, suggesting that they were wounded or at least tired.

Still, this was bad. They outnumbered them and Michiko didn't even want to entertain the thought of something happening to her family. So doing as her grandmother asked she quickly went to activate the barrier seals.

Just as she was about to push some of her chakra into the fifth seal, she felt the foreign chakra spike in warning as they reached the clearing. Heart in her throat, she made her way to the back entrance.

From this position she could see her parents. Four ninjas stood before them, the other team concealed in the surrounding trees. She strained her neck a bit to get a better look at them and to look for any identifiers, such as a headband.

The middle one, the one speaking with her parents, he was wearing one with a cloud image on it. 'Kumo, then. Fuck. Weren't they then ones that tried kidnapping Hinata? Wait, which village tried kidnapping Kushina? Oh, this was not good. Not good at all,' she thought, with rising dread.

'Mi-Michiko! Come here this instance!' Ayaka's whisper was not lacking in command, and any other time she would have listened immediately, but not now. Now she had to prepare for the worst.

It all seemed to be going fine, her parents and the Kumo-nin exchanged nods, the other ninjas came out of the forest and that was when it all went wrong. One of the previously concealed ninja made their way to the one who was speaking, by this point she assumed he was the leader, and whispered something in his ear.

Whatever it was caused him to freeze up and look at her parents again. Seeing him appraising her parents made the blood in her veins freeze.

They knew.

Then the chaos erupted. They began attacking her parents, who wasted no time in returning the favour.

But no matter how good Takeshi and Natsumi were, the odds were still not in their favour. Eight versus _two,_ wasn't in their favour.

Her grandmother seemed to think along the same lines. Screaming at her to stay put, Ayaka jumped into the battle. Extending her own chakra chains and incapacitating one of the Kumo-nin, however in her haste she did not see one coming up behind her, blade drawn.

'MOTHER!' Natsumi cried, seeing Ayaka about to be ambushed. Michiko didn't think anymore, drawing chakra to the soles of her feet she used this to propel her self forward and kicked the bastard away from her grandmother.

In a fluid motion she pulled out a scroll, drawing out the weapon within, and bringing it down upon his head. The force enough to split his head open, spraying blood on her.

Michiko quickly recovered her momentum, not caring in that moment that she had killed someone for the first time. There was a total of five ninja left. No, four ninja left as her grandmother killed the one she had captured.

The Kumo ninja seemed surprised, not having expected Ayaka's and Michiko's presence, before rage seemed to take over them due to their dead comrades.

One of them charged at Michiko, both hands surrounded in electricity. She used the side of her blade to block, the wooden pole acting as an insulator preventing her from getting shocked, before summoning her chains the surprise enough for her to send them through his left leg, preventing him from dodging as the next one went for his head.

Joining her grandmother once again, they worked together to quickly eliminate another ninja. Turning around, she saw her parents fighting the remaining two, seeming to be evenly matched.

However her mother was slowing down, sometime during the fight she had received an injury to her side which was bleeding through the material of her kimono.

Red eyes blazing, Michiko bared her teeth in anger. Charging at the remaining ninja, she attacked him with her guan dao, only cutting his flank as he tried to get out of the way. That was all the opening her mother needed to finish him. When they were done they sent their chains to wrap around the final enemy, which her father swiftly ended.

Nobody said anything afterwards, all of them mulling over the events that had just transpired. Till finally, Natsumi realised what had happened, and what Michiko had done. She exploded like never before, her daughter's actions having scared her.

"What if you had died?" she demanded. "Do you know how reckless your actions were?" But Michiko wasn't paying attention to her mother. Instead she was staring at remains of the Kumo-nin that attacked them.

"Are you —,"

Michiko interrupted her. "It's because we are Uzumaki that they attacked. One of them recognised our features, so they hoped to return back home with clan blood. I'm sure that would have made their Kage glad."

They weren't questions. Simple statements devoid of emotion.

"Michiko…," her grandmother tried, voice wavering due to exhaustion. They were watching her, waiting for her reaction. This was not her usual behaviour and they were especially worried since this was the first time she killed as well.

"Yes," Takeshi finally said. "As long as there is Uzumaki blood, it will be hunted—" Natsumi butted in before he could continue.

"Anata!" But Takeshi, merely shook his head.

"It's not like she doesn't realise it, love. She deserves to hear the truth," directing his attention back to his daughter — who was still staring at the same spot, eyes unfocused — he continued:

"When Uzushiogakure was destroyed, our clan lost more than our homes and relatives. We lost the protection it offered us and others with special bloodline traits," he said.

"We became easy pickings," Michiko concluded. Takeshi gave her a hard look, attempting to understand what was going on in her head.

"Yes," he whispered. They all looked down in sorrow, the truth bearing down on them. Fist clenched and teeth grit, Michiko whirled around to face her family, eyes blazing in fury.

"Then _I'll_ change that truth," she growled out. They all looked up in shock. Her words seeming to not fully register with them till Ayaka that finally asked:

"What?"

Focusing on her Michiko elaborated: "If the loss of Uzushio is what caused this mess, the I will rebuild it. I'll raise it from that rubble and make it once again a village people looked up to."

Her words were determined, voice never wavering and she maintained constant eye contact with her grandmother.

"Michiko, honey, that's—," Natsumi attempted to reason with her daughter.

"No. I have made up my mind. This will not be the last time this happens and we are not the only Uzumaki alive. The are probably going through the same things as us, if not worse. _Hiding, stealing, lying_. All because we were chased out of our home," Michiko interrupted once again, rounding on her mother this time.

"And it is not just the Uzumaki. Anyone with any blood related ability is treated the though we are animals…Belonging to nobody. _Fair game,_ " the truth of her words was biting and uncensored. Unknowingly tearing open wounds that her family had allowed to scar.

"I know the impossibility of what I am saying. I _know_. But I also know that we can't keep on living like this. I've see what was left of Uzusiogakure. There were barely any remains even left—,"

"Michiko! That is enough," but Natsumi never finished. Michiko was on a _roll_. She was livid and plans were forming in her mind. Ideas taking root and making space for themselves within the confines of her mind.

"No, mother," she said softly this time. A direct contrast to how she had spoken earlier. "You can imagine why so few were left, right? … _They took them._ But no more. _No more_. I could have lost you today!" Michiko exclaimed finally.

"You could have died today. And for what? Because we have bloody red hair ttebane? Is that it? Well I don't care! We can't choose how we are born. But, we _can_ _choose_ how we _live_. And I refuse to live in hiding for the rest of my life, hoping nobody finds me, being terrified of having children and then worrying for their lives because they had the poor luck to have my blood running through their veins."

Taking deep breaths, she paused, calming down, her verbal tic manifesting itself in her anger. Finally, she looked at her family once again, making eye contact with each one.

"I _will_ rebuild Uzushiogakure, no matter how long it will take. I promise I am done hiding," she said in the silence of the clearing, determination shining in her eyes.

* * *

 **A/N:Seriously thank you for reading this story people, it is really encouraging and your reviews were all very nice!**

 **But gah, I really don't like this chapter, I will need to work on it but I had to get it out of the way so that the real action can finally kick off. If I delayed this,** _trust_ **me, I would have never gotten it done. So please let me know of any spelling or grammar mistakes so that I may correct them and maybe an improvements you would like to suggest? Please let me know in the reviews guys!**


	5. The Scroll

**A/N: Edited chapter on the 15th of January 2016**

 **Beta: Yup, Prince Nemui is still the person who read over this iffy chapter ;)**

* * *

 **-1 month after the attack-**

A five layered seal, each with a different set of rules applied and symbols drawn. All meant to deter a person from accessing the information held within the scroll. 'This person was bloody insane!' She thought in despair, 'even that trap door wasn't sealed so heavily…just what _is_ this thing?'

It was a really good system, and it would have probably worked if Michiko wasn't an Uzumaki, trained by Ayaka and so stubborn.

When her and Takeshi returned from Uzushiogakure, Michiko wasted no time showing her grandmother the huge scroll that they found.

It was the first time Michiko saw that surprised look on Ayaka's face; but after analysing the scroll and seals for a bit she grinned wildly, passing the huge scroll back to her granddaughter.

"Unseal it yourself," she ordered, grin never faltering—and Michiko swore that her eyes were glinting— "If you can do it, you may keep the contents of this scroll."

A bit confused, but even more intrigued now, Michiko promised to do it and make them proud.

Thus, in-between training sessions, which only got harder after the attack from the Kumo-nin, Michiko would spend her time picking at the seals, unravelling them one by one, careful to not damage the scroll as well and making notes of the sealing patterns, committing each one to memory.

They were excellent seals.

Finally with only two left to go, Michiko was growing more and more excited to find what was hidden inside. Her grandmother clearly knew and must have recognised the scroll, which on its own was a curiosity that she wanted answered. Michiko wanted to know just whose house she and Takeshi had stumbled upon. It was clearly not your usual stranger's home. A fūinjutsu master for sure, one who decided to live closer to the edge of the village, away from most people —likely why his house was intact, if unkept—

Ayaka must have told her parents what was in the scroll judging by their secretive smiles.

Well, they weren't _that secretive_ , her father would shamelessly grin and be smugly pleased whenever she mentioned the damn thing.

'Yes,' she thought, as the fourth layer opened up, ink spreading across the scroll before finally dispersing. 'Four down, one to go.'

When she told her family the news, her parents agreed to give her a week off training if she wanted to just focus on the last seal. Weighting the pros and cons of said offer, Michiko sheepishly accepted, deciding that it would not do her that much harm if she skipped training for _just_ a week.

"But you still have to do your morning taijutsu training," her mother cheerfully added.

With that out of the way Michiko finished her dinner and went to bed. Looking forward to working on the scroll, now that she was so close to finishing it.

The next morning she woke up bright and early, went outside to do her morning training, as promised, before having breakfast. Once done, she showered, changing out of the dirty clothing, and went to her desk; where the scroll was patiently waiting for her.

—.—.—.—

'I'm going to grow white hair before figuring this one out,' she thought miserably. The promised week was almost up and Michiko had still not found the key of the seal, preventing her from breaking it. And it was driving her insane!

She had managed to open the lock which kept the ink-writing compressed, and prevented her from reading it, which in turn allowed Michiko access to the entire seal. 'This should have made things easier, not harder,' she thought, annoyed with the sheer amount of paranoia that must have been involved when creating these security seals. 'They better tell me how to go to the moon or something, because otherwise someone will be in a world of pain.'

There were several oddities within this seal, which she has never encountered before. The most puzzling one being that it did not have a chakra gate. A vital point in making any piece of fūinjutsu work. A chakra gate was like a little instructions manual, which indicated how much chakra was needed to activate it as well the direction it was meant to flow. But this seal had no such thing!

And that was not the only anomaly either, just the most troubling. Michiko used her grandmother's scrolls on sealing but she asked for no other help. This was her test.

Resisting the urge to bash her head against the table, she took a deep, calming breath and started again.

On the sixth day, Michiko gave in to her urge of hitting herself, the answer so obvious to her now that she felt genuinely embarrassed for not realising it sooner.

The final layer was a blood seal, hence why it had no chakra gate. Although, in her defence it was not your straightforward blood seal either — Not like there was such a thing.

It was cleverly concealed, —like everything about this person's work— by using several Yin seals meant to trick people into thinking that it required spiritual chakra. When in reality they were an allusion to the need of live force, which theoretically chakra was as well, however depending on the other characters surrounding the Yin seals, it could refer to blood, physical life-force.

'Damn clever paranoid genius,' she thought with a grin, her mood a million times better now.

Stretching her muscles, Michiko went to open her window and allow some fresh air in the room, before returning to stand before the scroll.

She drew the counter seal in the middle before pricking her thumb and smearing blood on each of the six Yin symbols. The reaction was instantaneous, the scroll seemingly sucking the blood and ink until all that was left was the, now openable, scroll.

'I did it…I did it, I did _it_!' She thought, jubilant at her achievement, bouncing up and down in her room. Michiko was slightly tempted to somersault out of her window … before remembering what happened last time … Yeah, she didn't want a repeat of that particular incident.

Finally finished with her happy dance, she debated whether to run down to tell her family or check out the contents first.

…

'Content first,' she decided.

Gently unrolling the scroll, Michiko was greeted by lines of names. Frowning she brought a corner of it closer for further examination. The kanji definitely spelled out names but they were not written in ink…but in a dark, brownish colour, slightly thicker than dry ink would have been.

'Wow, I'm an ink nerd,' she thought, rolling her eyes heavenwards.

Then it hit her.

Eyes widening in astonishment she let out a squeal of happiness:

"It's a summoning scroll!"

* * *

 **A/N: Hya wonderful readers! Quick questions do you think I should maybe start writing Omake(s)? I feel that while certain moments would be interesting to write about it might drag out the story a bit too much and it is not like they are plot turning revelations. I already have an idea of one where we get to see Michiko's first summoning attempt.**

 **Since the next chapter will be another 1 year time skip and I felt like this was a good place to stop the chapter. So anyways let me know what you think?**


	6. First meeting

**Beta: Well of course Prince Nemui was the lovely who beta read this chapter :D**

 **Mild Edit: 03/01/17 —for those reading this. I have begun the process of swapping Mitsuki and Tsubaki's names around. Reason is stupid but if in later chapter you see Tsubaki being described as golden or being more childish just know he is the Mitsuki of this chapter and I haven't gotten around to updating the chapters yet.**

* * *

 **-1 year later-**

She was finally allowed to leave the house.

As in, go and explore their surroundings. Michiko finally couldn't take it anymore and asked her parents to allow her to go out, further than the four mile radius around the house. This of course was shot down immediately when first proposed, the war they said having reached some sort of peak, Iwa and Konoha were at each other's throats more than ever before.

Thus when Natsumi and Takeshi called her to the kitchen in order to discuss something with her, she was beyond surprised. She could tell that they did not like the idea of her going out on her own. Afraid of the worst happening. So they had rules.

She had to always have a summon accompany her, and that did not include Mitsuki, —a young fox kit — and she had to be gone no more than a day. They did not want her leaving Yu no Kuni, so crossing the border was a big no-no.

They were good parents, she thought fondly. Michiko understood the need for those rules, because despite her talent and maturity, —one hidden so often behind her playful nature that they sometimes forgot was there — she was still an eight year old girl.

A child.

But they also understood her need for freedom, they expected it, really. "One does not keep an Uzumaki locked up," her father said. So they fought their urge to hold and protect her in order to give her this gift, and she was eternally grateful for it.

Running between the trees, with no particular direction in mind, Michiko looked at her companions. To her right was Tsubaki, a dark-red, nin-kitsune capable of moulding chakra to cast genjutsu, an area she was still rather pathetic in despite her mother being a master of the art. "Don't be upset love, she takes after her old man. And we both know how much you love me~," her father told her mom once after a particularly terrible genjutsu lesson that made Natsumi think she was a terrible teacher. Michiko was just terrible at casting them. Detecting and breaking out of them? She could do … most of the time. If they were kiddy grade. Casting? Hell no.

On her shoulder was little Mitsuki. A baby that just turned one recently, but whose mother insisted it was good practice for him to spend as much time outside with Michiko as possible. He was her partner after all.

He was an adorable little thing. Golden fur, with brown paws, white tipped ears and tail and small black eyes. He was a literal ball of sunshine that she immediately took to.

Thinking of her summons made her remember her first ever summon. Which was, without a doubt, the most stressful thing she had ever done.

It took two weeks for her to attempt the summoning again.

That time an elderly fox with an off-grey coat appeared, demanding to know who she was and how she came into possession on their summoning contract.

Gubi-sama was a no-nonsense kind of fox, but surprisingly the moment he saw Ayaka he gave an elated squeak before launching himself at the old woman. It was then that her grandmother explained that the contract belonged to her third cousin twice removed, (she was amazed they actually bothered to keep track) and would have normally gone to his apprentice.

It also seemed that the foxes were unaware of what happened to Uzushiogakure, only knowing that their previous summoner died, as they could no longer feel their bond with him.

Further explanation revealed that Michiko was the one that found the summoning contract and broke the seals on it. Learning this Gubi gave her a once over, and after some thinking on his part accepted her, saying that he will let the skulk know of the girl but that the final decision lay with Shokō-sama.

This had all passed now, and soon after her time was filled once again with training, only this time she trained alongside the foxes as well to enhance their teamwork.

"Yahoo~, let's find an onsen guys," Michiko said, speeding up while Tsubaki gave the equivalent of a snort in replay.

'Really,' his summoner was such an odd little girl. 'Does she even know where she is heading?' he thought as he increased his own speed to keep up with his little ward.

At least she was entertaining. Though he had no intention to tell her that.

 **-some weeks later-**

"Michiko-san, there is a group of four ahead," Tsubaki informed. Nodding towards him to confirm she heard, Michiko reached out with her chakra to get a better read of the group ahead.

There were four in total as the tod informed her. But what he couldn't tell her was that they all had fluctuating chakra that felt rather weak.

'Were they injured?' she wondered. Bending down, she picked up her basket, which stored the herbs that she was gathering. Michiko wasn't exactly thrilled about the prospect of guests, but at the same time … 'maybe a peek wouldn't hurt,' she reasoned. Not like she wasn't good at hiding her presence.

Standing, the girl made her way to the nearby river. Peering at her reflection she gave herself a once over. Scarlet eyes stared back at her. Her skin was light but no where near as pale as her grandmothers —as she spent far more time in the sun. Her crimson hair was tied up into two short ponytails, having been far too lazy that day to braid it.

She was wearing a short dark brown kimono with short sleeves, while her legs were wrapped in bandages and a pair of black open toed, ankle length sandals. Her pouch with scrolls was on her left hip, with a kunai holster on her right thigh. Kami, she wasn't a fan of those things, they were awkward to throw in her opinion, — which was normal if one really thought about it, as they were designed for stabbing and thrusting — though if you added a paper bomb to them… she could totally dig them.

Her mother, on the other hand, wasn't very impressed with Michiko's fondness of pyrotechnics.

Well, she looked like a ninja, definitely not a civilian, even if she had no village affiliated symbol on her person, and she most certainly looked like an Uzumaki. Not, like she had any basis for comparison other than her family…and, well it was a given that she would resemble them.

"Michiko-san," Tsubaki tried once again. Sighing, she turned around to face her summon with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that guys, I was just thinking," she begun. "Well… I was thinking that taking a peek wouldn't hurt, going by their chakra they must at least be exhausted. I wouldn't be able to tell you what rank they would be, since I am not used to other people's chakra and theirs are showing signs of fatigue," she continued unperturbed by the unimpressed look she was getting from the eldest fox.

"Wouldn't that be too dangerous?" the tod asked, looking as though he was fighting the urge to sigh. Mitsuko was enjoying listening to their voices, not really understanding why Tsubaki was annoyed but unwilling to question him.

"We can think of this as stealth training! I mean how many opportunities for field testing do we get?" Michiko wined, spreading her arms out in emphasis. For someone who was meant to have the mentality of an adult, she was rather childish.

The pup yipped his agreement, now slightly bigger, he was getting his stamina up, so she didn't have to constantly carry him. Tsubaki barked at him in replay, causing the kit to lower his head to the ground, releasing a submissive wine.

"Hey now Tsubaki, don't bully Mitsuki. He was just showing us his enthusiasm," she scolded, receiving a scathing look from the fox.

"The kit needs to learn how to control his outbursts," was all he said.

"He's still young, he has time," she replied, pouting at the strictness of the older fox.

"And you spoil him too much," he countered. Pouting in reply, she sent an apologetic look to Tsubaki, who sent her a happy little yip —he was too young to have learnt how to speak the human language —

"So what do you think? Shall we give it a go?" Michiko asked.

After finally receiving approval from the eldest fox, the trio set out for the chakra signatures. Careful with their steps this time, so as to not make noise. Michiko and Tsubaki also made sure to hide their chakra signatures so as to not draw the ninjas' attention, should they have a sensor.

When they reached the quartet, Michiko was able to confirm that her assessment was correct and that they looked exhausted. One of them in particular looked extremely injured, clutching at a hip wound while another was fussing over them. The awkward moves spoke of no formal medical training.

Catching a glimpse of their headbands, four horizontal lines, made determining their Kirigakure origins very easy. All males from what she could tell, and all wearing what must have been their standard uniform.

But that was not what caused Michiko to freeze in place. It was how _young_ they looked. Three of them, including the injured one, couldn't be that much older than her, and their apparent leader must have been in his early twenties.

They were young, 'war children,' she thought darkly. Did it really matter whether or not they would react adversely to her presence? If there was a chance she could help? Michiko was no healer, not by any means. But she knew the local herbs and what they were used for like she knew her fūinjutsu.

Mind made, up she singled her foxes to stay behind. Confused, but recognising the command they obeyed, eyeing her warily. After all, Michiko was known to be impulsive, Tsubaki especially felt that she was about to do something stupid. She did.

Dropping from the branch she was on, Michiko barely had one second to react before the leader was on her. Parrying his kunai with her own she shouted:

"I'm not your enemy ttebane!"

It had at least caused them to pause but the leader did not move from his fighting stance.

"State your name and purpose," he demanded. 'Well, this is going better than I hopped," she noted.

"That boy is heavily injured and I was collecting herbs further downstream," she told him. "Plus, do you not know _it's rude_ to ask for someone's name without giving your own?" Ok, she was playing with fire, —well water— but she couldn't help it, honest!

That was not the answer he wanted as he snarled at her but was yet to attack. He was likely analysing her, as she was him. His eyes also strayed to the herb basket she still kept a hold of.

"Look, I am not affiliated with any of the hidden villages, the only reason I even decided to show myself, since you clearly couldn't sense me—" another warning growl cut her off.

"How can that be possible?" It was one of the other boys. This one was to the right of the leader, katana out and ready to attack.

No, seriously, he was ready to attack. Michiko has never felt this kind of killing intent before. And the fact that it was coming from a child barely older than herself… it was a frightening experience.

"What? How can _what_ be possible?"

"Not being affiliated with a shinobi village, you are no civilian," he said.

He was trying to distract her, Michiko realised. As the only other available teammate was attempting to sneak up behind her. 'Ugh, troublesome bunch, why did she decide to help them,' she wondered.

"My parents taught me. They used to be shinobi but their village is long gone. Now seriously, stop that pathetic attempt at sneaking up behind me please," she said without taking her eyes away from the two males in front of her.

"You do not seem to be lying," the leader begun, "but that does not explain why you have revealed your presence," he finished.

Releasing an exasperated huff, Michiko pinned him with an unimpressed look.

"Did you not listen to what I said before? That boy is heavily injured, I am no medic but I can at least stop the blood flow so that you might transport him somewhere else for treatment," she said, really pushing her lunch with the man's patience.

"Why the hell would you do that?" the boy, the one who attempted to sneak up behind her demanded, sounding incredulous. 'Understandable; this _is_ war.' And she was trying to be a good Samaritan. Who _wouldn't_ be suspicious?

"You can't be that much older than me," she said, "and that kid likely has someone that will miss him if he dies, look it's not like I can make things worse. As it is he will likely die from blood loss alone," which was a true statement, as a small pool of blood had formed on the ground as if to manifest the truth of her statement.

Giving her a hard glare he raised from his crouch, but did not put the kunai away. So paranoid. "Don't try anything funny or—" he began,

"You'll kill me, yadda yadda. Can I move on to the helping bit? Seriously, don't make this more troublesome for me than it has to be," she poted.

Michiko knew she shouldn't sass him, she _knew,_ but he was so frustrating, and she wasn't good enough at controlling her emotions to prevent the annoyance from leaking out. Plus it was kinda fun seeing the vein above his eye budge from repressed anger.

Manoeuvring around the armed and paranoid ninja, the redhead knelt by the unconscious boy. He had bluish-white hair and chalky white skin, the blood loss wasn't doing him any favours.

Unzipping his vest, she then carefully rolled up his shirt and winced. It was not a pretty sight and it was not new either. She frowned, inspecting the wound revealed signs of early septic. Not good.

"His wound is starting to fester. I can make a paste right now to put on it to slow down the process, but I don't have any fresh bandages with me," she said, looking up at the other males.

After a pause, the boy with the sword came forward, opened his pouch and pulled out a roll of bandages. Throwing them to her wordlessly, she gave him a smile in return. The poor boy looked like he had been slapped. 'Damn ninja and their emotion imparting programmes,' she thought angrily.

Michiko pulled out a scroll from her own pouch, after reassuring the other ninja that she needed a pestle and a mortar. Setting to work she used some of the water in her canteen to dampen a bit of the bandage and clean some of the dirt from the wound, before applying the murky green paste and bandaging his torso with the rest of the roll.

Satisfied that she had stopped the bleeding and slowed down the infection, she went to gather her things. If they left now to get help, the boy had a good chance of surviving. Depending on how far help was, that is.

She would have left then, after receiving an awkward thank you from their team leader, but of course that would have made things relatively easy. And Michiko was painfully aware that her life was not destined to be easy, not with her luck and goal, everything up to now was just the interlude.

A low wine caused her to stiffen, recognising it as Tsubaki's warning signal. Ignoring the ninjas around her she reached out with her chakra to the surrounding area. Trying to find what tipped off her summon.

'There,' she thought. Five, fast approaching signals were heading straight for their location. Quickly explaining the situation to the males, Michiko watched as orders left the leader's mouth quickly. He was preparing them to retreat, a logical course of action given their state and the fact that one of their teammates was out of commission.

"They are too fast. You won't make it far, I would say we have about two minutes," she said. Cursing, the shinobi ordered the other two to get ready for combat.

Looking at Michiko who was still there he asked: "What are you still doing here? Go…you have helped enough"— the poor guy had no idea who he was dealing with.

"No way pal, you need all the help you can get and I did not spend all that time on sleeping beauty over there for him to just die now. I'm helping," she stated. (If Tsubaki could face palm he would, instead he had to settle with smacking his head against the tree trunk)

Before any complains could leave his lips two blurs appeared in front of Michiko. Blinking he barely registered the two snarling foxes that appeared before the first attack was launched.

Iwa ninja. And by the looks of their faces, they seemed pretty happy to see them. 'Well aren't they a nice looking bunch,' she thought sarcastically.

Reaching for her weapon scroll, she unsealed her guan dao, receiving more than one odd stare. After all, she would stare as well if she saw a four-foot girl with a weapon three heads bigger than her.

A moment of silence passed between them as they sized each other up, then all hell broke loose.

They clashed, two Iwa-nins went for the leader while Michiko and the other two each went after one ninja.

As Michiko went for the kill, her blade meet no resistance as the nin became mud. ' _Shit_ ,' she thought. Dodging a doton jutsu that caused earth pillars to erupt and head towards her at high speeds Michiko crouched and released a long stream of fire of her own, forcing the ninja to back away and cutting off his technique. 'Thank you otō-chan,' she thought.

One of the other Iwa nin must have seen their fight and decided to help his comrade because he launched himself at Michiko, kunai at the ready. Mitsuki was ready and went to grab his leg, sinking his fangs in, causing the nin to lose his balance just before his weapon sunk into Michiko's flesh. Tsubaki then made his move and cast a genjutsu on the man, incapacitating him from fighting. Sword boy delivered the final blow, viciously decapitating the ninja before returning to his previous fight.

Meanwhile the Uzumaki was still preoccupied with her original enemy, who keep turning to mud whenever she landed a blow on him. It seemed to be some sort of bunshin technique, but the chakra she felt suggested that he was the real deal, 'a kekkei genkai perhaps?'

She did manage to see from the corner of her eye, the kid with the sword finish off the enemy her summons took care of.

That was a relief.

Blocking the incoming kick with the side of the blade, she poured chakra into her arms and pushed back, only managing to gain two metres or so distance between them. Dropping her weapon when he propelled himself at her once again, Michiko used the loss of weight to perform a series of quick backflips and used a tree trunk to gain height before jumping over the Iwa ninja.

Pulling out three tagged kunai from her pouch she threw them at the man activating the seals almost immediately. Getting grazed by the explosion as a result and landing roughly in a nearby tree she stuck to via chakra.

Taking too long to regain her bearings she was almost skewered by the _still alive_ shinobi that released a barrage of kunai that she only survived by virtue of her quickly erected chain barrier.

Taken by surprise at this sudden development the Iwa ninja didn't react quickly enough to avoid the blade of the Kiri-captain cut through him as though he were butter.

Attackers in various pieces and adrenaline pumping Michiko collapsed awkwardly on the groud and gave a loud sigh as she released the shield and had her foxes join her.

"That was pathetic," sword boy proclaimed as he looked at Michiko.

"Oh zip it shrimpy," she shoot back, "I told you I'm not affiliated with a ninja village.—Which means," she continued when he seemed ready to cut her off, "that I rarely if ever fight. Like ever…thank you for finishing him off," she thanked the captain in the end. Pouting and looking embarrassingly to the side.

"Fukusaki Kukure," the man said, extending his right arm to her. Taking it she used it to get up before giving it a firm shake smiling pleasantly at the now named man.

"Uzumaki Michiko," she introduced, noting the raised eyebrow.

And then she waited. Likely figuring out what she wanted, Fukusaki told the rest of his team to introduce themselves and Michiko couldn't help the grin that took residence on her face. Even when Tsubaki snorted at her behaviour. What? She liked meeting new people.

Grumbling,the boy who first attempted to sneak up behind her was the next to go:

"Jungero Suzaku…," he said, pouting, arms crossed over his chest. He looked adorable. And to think in her previous world Kiri was associated with crazy murderers…. well, they still were. But that didn't mean that they weren't human. It was just easier to recall all the crazy, bloodthirsty ones, and forget all the normal —as far as ninja went— ones.

Finally, after a glare from Fukusaki, the last active member —who still had his sword out and emitting killing intent, mind you— introduced himself.

"Momochi Zabuza…," he said. 'Doesn't his attitude scream pleasant,' Michiko thought sarcastically—'Wait, Zabuza…Zabuza… as in _that Zabuza_? What were the odds,' she thought in shock, looking at the boy more carefully.

Although, this could be good, looking at him she could attempt to gauge where in the timeline she was. Trying to recall what little she consciously remembered of character's appearances, he was about in his late twenties, maybe, when he encountered team seven.

"What the hell are you staring at?" his snarl brought her out of her musing. Looking at him Michiko noted he looked more tense, his expression betraying his anger. 'Oh, he sharpened his teeth,' she thought, knowing that she should give him some sort of answer.

"Your teeth are cool!" she said in all seriousness, although the overall effect was ruined by the silly grin she had, and the ponytails she was parading. Yup, she looked every inch of her eight year old self.

And judging by their flabbergasted expressions they didn't know what to do with her. Unable to hold it in anymore, she released a peal of laughter at the absurdity of this entire situation.

"You best get going, least more enemies come, not to mention that your teammate still needs medical attention," she reminded them. Walking to her basket and picking it up, she made to leave.

And with her summons behind her, headed in the opposite direction of her house.

'What? They weren't the only paranoid bunch,' she thought.


	7. Kusa and Chakra

**Beta: My saviour Prince Nemui**

 **Extra Mild Edit: 03/01/17**

* * *

 **-11 months later-**

It was bad, _very bad._ Michiko was currently at the border between Kusa no Kuni and Hi no Kuni, doing her very best to stay hidden.

Why was she at the border of one of the most war-torn countries at this current moment? An excellent question, to which she had no good answer. Michiko wanted to visit other countries and learn more about the world that she was born in. Her family was not too thrilled about the idea, especially after her last stand with the Kiri and Iwa ninjas. 'Damn Tsubaki and his big muzzle,' she thought, remembering how he totally sold her out to her parents. She now had a scar on her left shoulder from the training session which followed said revelation.

Needless to say, she was not allowed to leave for a while after that. But at the moment the war was seeming to approach its end. Kiri was the first that started summoning its forces back, Suna, with the exception of a few platoons retreated as well. Even Kumo seemed to have gotten bored with the war and had over half its forces return home, while most of the minor countries were more or less done after the devastation the war had done not only to their numbers but economy as well.

It was really only Iwa and Konoha that were still seriously gunning after one another. So, by all means, the threat level when travelling had decreased significantly and Michiko was able to bully her parents into allowing her to go see other nearby countries. Her grandmother insisted on one of them going with her, which the redhead didn't like. As that would leave the other two staying home more vulnerable if something were to happen.

She eventually got her way and was allowed to go explore as long as she kept in constant contact via summons, avoided fighting.

So with all that in mind what where did Michiko decide to head? Why, of course, towards the currently most dangerous place.

Why did she continue heading that way knowing all of this? Answer, Obito. Michiko spent hours pouring over the scroll in which she squeezed out all the information she had about this world. Trying to figure out what information she could use and how she could change certain things.

She knew that Uchiha Madara was the reason behind Obito's personality change, but honestly, what could Michiko do? She, for one, didn't know when Madara got his hands on the boy, or for that matter, his location. And even if she did know all of that, what was she meant to do, stroll up to one of the greatest shinobi of all time and demand he stopped trying to put everyone in a genjutsu? Oh, and by the way old man, you are being used by this thing called Zetsu who really doesn't give two shits about you?

Michiko was childish and full of energy, not to mention rather impulsive, but by no means was she stupid or suicidal. Meaning that the best way to prevent Obito from turning 'bad' was getting to him before Madara did. That was still a problem. She knew the boy was crushed under a boulder as a result of a mission, but she didn't know which one, or when that happened. She was sure that it had something to do with Iwa, though.

And there was also the problem of; what then? Now, as far as Michiko was concerned, the future is meant to be unknown. It was what made life fun, even if not knowing could lead to tragedies, they were, in the end, needed in order to grow and learn.

But she did hold some, fragmented, knowledge about what was to come and that was nonetheless a starting point. And while the girl didn't ask to be privy of this information, she was, and there was nothing she could do about it but use it to help herself and her loved ones.

Either way, this self appointed mission had a much bigger goal.

Information.

Michiko was severely lacking in that department. Having lived her entire life more or less isolated from the outside world, she was extremely behind on current ongoings and she hoped that by going to Kusa's capital —while intensely praying to Kami that she did not die, her mother would revive her only to kill her again— she would be able to learn more about the war and maybe establish how far away from Kurama's attack she was.

With that in mind she rested by the river for a bit, replenished her energy, and made way towards Kusa's capital once again.

Michiko was well within Kusa no Kuni when a spike of chakra made her halt her progress. A small part of her said that she should ignore it and continue heading for the capital. But a larger part of her was screaming to head towards that chakra signature at top speed.

It was familiar.

Not a signature that she consciously recognised as belonging to someone that she had met before. No. It was something more than that. Her very being was drawn towards the distressed chakra.

It was a foreign feeling to Michiko since she had never experienced such a reaction towards a chakra signature before. Nevertheless, she listened to her instincts and headed towards the signature, Kusa's capital long forgotten.

There was no doubt that whoever the chakra signature belonged to was in trouble. As Michiko drew nearer to the source she extended her senses, feeling six more chakra signatures surrounding the one which made that primal instinct within her stir to life.

Protect, is what it kept saying. Protect and eliminate whatever it was that was threatening one of her own.

That made her pause for the briefest moments, almost losing her balance, before cursing and speeding up.

The girl paid little mind to the stunned Kusa-nin that froze when she burst into their clearing. Battle cry and guan dao at the ready, she located the source of that distressed chakra.

Right smack in the centre of the loose circle formed around a red-haired woman that gave her an equally bewildered look.

A second was all it took for Michiko to register why exactly she acted so strongly to her chakra.

Why everything within her screamed to protect her.

Because that woman was family.

And those Kusa-nin were dead.

* * *

 **A/N: Any guesses on who am I talking about?**

 **Based on Tobirama's ability slightly. From the wiki, I gathered that his sensing was good enough to even identify a targets ancestry from their chakra signature. And while I am not saying Michiko's sensing abilities are on par with Tobirama's (no way in hell) I think recognising someone from your own family/clan wouldn't be that weird for any decent sensor.**

 **Thank you so much for reading my story, as well as reviewing, sharing your thoughts, following ad favouriting it. Honestly it means so much, to know that you guys are enjoying this thus far. It really boosts up a girls confidence ;)**

 **chaosrin: Don't you worry, romance isn't even on Michiko's menu right now. True maybe later she will indulge in the frivolities of youth, right now she has other priorities and men are not them. Well unless it is killing them or training with them that is.**


	8. Red Hot-Blooded Habanero

**Beta: Prince Nemui is the one who took the time to beta read this story out of the kindness of their heart**

 **Mild Edit: 05/01/17**

* * *

Michiko wasted but a second in order to establish who her enemy was, before launching herself at the nearest Kusa-nin immediately, taking advantage of their momentarily pause. Thus the ninja was not able to fully dodge as Michiko's guan dao came crashing down. It ripped open his flank jacket and skin on his lower abdomen.

The others, sensing the imminent danger, abandoned their formation to regroup further back from the enraged child.

A volley of shuriken were thrown her way that she barely twisted out of their path, one still catching the sleeve of her kimono. One of the major disadvantages of her weapon was its weight. It significantly slowed down her movements and she had yet to build the required strength to no longer be affected by this.

As it was right now, Michiko mainly went for straight up attacks and used her momentum to cleave her enemy. If possible. Which wasn't often unless the element of surprise was involved.

A shift in her surroundings indicated a genjutsu having been cast. Cursing, she attempted to quickly break out of it before she quite literally lost her head only to wake up to a handful of red hair in her face as the previously mentioned woman punched who she assumed to be the male trying to kill her through the nearest tree. He didn't get back up.

Releasing a squeak of surprise that she would later be mortified about, Michiko took note that for all her torn and bloody clothing she could no longer spot any wounds on the woman. As a matter of fact her chakra surged and—oh.

She knew who this was and felt like making herself in the face for not realising it sooner.

'I don't think she needs any help,' she though in a deadpan as she engaged three of the enemy in a [familiar] taijutsu bout.

'Wait, if she's fighting those three were the—' behind her, was the answer; as she ducked and rolled on the ground and using a substitution technique when the earth parted and quickly tried to squash her.

The girl only had a moment to gather her bearing from the tree branch she was on now before the male spotted her and his hands blurred in a series of hand-signs that resulted in a powerful gust of wind that would have sent her flying had she not anchored to the branch with chakra.

Which mattered little to the shinobi has he came at her wielding a short sword which she blocked with the shaft of her polearm.

Jumping down she attempted to put some distance between themselves first in order to have space to actually use said weapon. Except she was an inexperienced twit and he was a war-hardened shinobi. Someone needed to remind Michiko why she ever thought this to be a good idea and that if she survived she could not tell her family. _Ever_. Or Tsubaki for that matter.

Up till now, Michiko made good on her promise to avoid fights, she knew that she was not bad for a child, but against ninja with years of training and battle experience… she wasn't so willing to try her odds.

Sure, she'd fought shinobi before, but _never alone_. This time around she didn't even have her summons out, since Mitsuki wasn't feeling so well and she didn't feel like bothering the rest.

Her distraction cost her however as she couldn't dodge the next strike, the man digging his sword deeply into her shoulder. 'Shit,' Michiko thought in bewilderment, discarding her weapon in favour for a speed burst in order to jump away.

Realising a moment too late that she fell in his trap.

Explosive tags littered the ground and a replacement technique was only so fast. Biting on her tongue to prevent from screaming in pain the girl wasn't given a chance to examine her burnt leg before the man launched several kunais in her direction, forcing her to doge and use her damaged leg.

A strangled cry escaped her throat as she avoided a kick by ducking underneath his kick. Retrieving a kunai and stabbing the man in the abdomen in retaliation. He managed to put distance between them. However, any move he might have pulled next was rendered useless when he woke up with several golden chains sticking out of his chest and curling around his body. He shinobi was lifted up before carrels discarded to the side, hitting the ground hard.

He stopped moving afterwards.

"Hey you all right?" the red-haired woman asked appearing before Michiko out of the blue.

The girl let out a high pitched squeal and jumped backwards in response, landing on her ass. As she stared dumbly at the older female.

"Haha! Oh my—haha…are you…are you alright tebbane?" she managed to ask through her laughter, hand holding her abdomen.

Still giggling, the woman extended her hand for Michiko to take, which she did, grateful to not have to lean on her right leg to get up.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to laugh datebbane, I was just shocked," she said, having finally reigned in her mirth.

Allowing a smile of her own to bloom, Michiko analysed the older kunoichi. She still slightly tired but all visible tear marks in her uniform revealed unmarred skin and the redhead's chakra no longer fluctuated. 'Yeah,' Michiko thought, 'I really wasn't needed.'

Her red hair was much longer than Michiko's, but was tied up in a high ponytail as compared to her tightly braided hair. The woman had strands of hair covering both sides of her face and on top of that she had a forehead protector depicting a stylised leaf.

There was only one Konoha kunoichi that Michiko was aware of which fit the woman's description; and that was Uzumaki Kushina, the main protagonist's mother. 'Hot damn."

"It's all right, no harm done," Michiko said, smiling wobbly at the older woman, while internally debating the pros and cons of this meeting. "How are you?" she asked, settling for casual, effortless conversation prompts till she figured out what to do.

"Nothing too serious, maybe a bit of a wounded ego from having a pipsqueak think I need saving," she replied grinning which only made Michiko's stomach tighten. There was something sharp in Kushina's look.

"Hey, I'm not that short for my age," she complained loudly, pouting childishly for extra emphasis. Better pretend to not be affected, missing the way the woman's eyes flashed, concern and suspicion fading somewhat.

"Eh, and how old are you, chibi-chan?" she asked.

"I'm almost ten," Michiko proudly proclaimed. "You know nee-san, it's impolite to ask others about themselves when you haven't even introduced yourself," watching as the woman expertly lifted only one eyebrow, amusement evident on her face.

"Uzumaki Kushina! Soon to be the first female Hokage dattebane," the now confirmed Kushina said. It wasn't hard to decide that she was happy to have run into her, Michiko decided. After all, this woman was bound to know what was going on, not to mention that she genuinely didn't seem that bad. So far.

'But most importantly,' the child thought, she was the first family member that she had encountered, so regardless, Michiko decided then and there to give this woman a chance.

'Is this the charm father spoke about,' she wondered. Not quite able to stop herself from staring at Kushina, who seemed to ooze confidence and cheer without any effort.

Realising that older kunoichi was looking at her expectantly, Michiko realised that she was caught staring and felt a blush immediately come to life.

"Uzumaki Michiko, it is nice to meet you," she said, hand extended. It was a bit shocking when Kushina didn't promptly take her hand.

"So you really are an Uzumaki…," she whispered, expression turning gentle, and if Michiko wouldn't have been standing so close she wouldn't have heard it. Finally taking the offered hand the two Uzumaki females exchanged a knowing look, broken only when Michiko asked:

"Shouldn't we leave this area before someone realises those guys are missing? I don't know about you but, I don't think I can go through another fight right now."

Seeming to realise where they were, Kushina immediately took action. Crouching, she motioned for the girl to get on.

"Ummm,"

"Hop on, you're injured and won't be able to keep up anyway," Kushina told her.

"Where are you going to take me? I can tell you now that otō-chan will flip if anything happens to me. And okā-cha? Her face will be the last thing you see," the girl warned seriously.

Kushina might not wish her harm, but she can't just assume that other ninjas will think along the same lines.

As it was, Kushina was giving her a bewildered look. "Are there more survivors?" she asked and it was a bit painful to hear the hope in the woman's voice. 'She must miss her own family,' Michiko thought. Surely she still had people she cared for in Uzushio.

Seeing to realise that they still hadn't moved, Kushina once again motioned for her to get on.

"Don't worry Michiko-chan, I promise that once you get patched up you'll be able to leave. If anyone complains I will give them a piece of my mind dattebane!" she exclaimed.

Having decided to trust her and take her chances, Michiko climbed up on the woman back.

After all, trust was a funny thing, and sometimes one must risk a chance in order to learn if putting their trust in someone was worth it.


	9. Camp

**Beta: The brilliant Prince Nemui**

 **Mild Edit:05/01/17**

* * *

Minato was worried. Who could blame him? Kushina had been gone for two days when her mission should have taken one at most knowing her. But they were short on men and couldn't spare anyone to go look for her.

'If she does not return by the end of the day I'm going,' he thought, dread coursing through his veins. What if she was captured, he wondered, they could already be too late. So lost was Minato in his thoughts that when a ninja dropped next to him he jumped, preparing to punch the newcomer, thankfully he managed to restrain himself.

"Minato-san, ano… I know we are not best friends, but would you mind not accidentally killing me?" the male asked, looking at the sheepish blond.

"Sorry about that. What was it that you wanted?"

"It's about Uzumaki-san, she was spotted by our northern patrol heading—," poor guy never got to finish as Minato hiraishined out of there. "Hgh," he sighed, the man was so whipped. And here he wanted to tell him that she was spotted carrying a child with her. 'Oh well, he would find out on his own now,' he thought.

—.—.—.—

Appearing next to the kunai he left at the northern post, Minato ignored the three ninja that he scared with his random appearance.

Crouching and placing a finger on the ground, he stretched out his senses trying to locate Kushina's chakra signature. Locating it, he immediately went to hug the fiery woman, who was taken completely by surprise.

Minato was so happy that he didn't even realise that he couldn't wrap his arms around her fully like usual, nor did he even take notice of the light squeak that clearly did not belong to the flustered woman.

It took a well place punch to the head for Minato to take a couple of steps back and look at the blushing woman properly. She was dirty, covered in blood and had several cuts in her uniform. Her hair was a mess and she looked exhausted.

He was about to open his mouth and point out that she should go to the medical tent, when he realised that Kushina was carrying something.

No, not something, _someone._

"What are you staring at Minato, _I'm fine_ ," Kushina said, bringing Minato out of his musing.

"Well yes you look lovely as always — _what!_ Kushina exclaimed, blush darkening— but Kushina… who did you kidnap this time?" The blond asked, slightly dreading the answer. After all, this was _Kushina._

Sputtering, the woman managed to give out an indignant, "hey," before a light giggle caused her to focus once again. The laugh also served in gathering Minato's, as well as the forgotten guards', attention.

"Oh, right," Kushina said, "this is my cousin, Michiko-chan!" Poking her head above the woman's shoulder, she gave a little wave grinning at the flabbergasted expression the men had.

"Hello," she said. Their reaction was funny, in Michiko's opinion, and judging by Kushina's barely repressed giggles she thought so too.

On the way to the base, Michiko got to learn more about the other redhead and vice-versa, as Kushina fired question after question her way with Michiko felt slightly proud to have been able to retaliate in like.

The girl told her about her family, and how they weren't affiliated with any village, and Kushina talked about her time in Uzushiogakure and how the kids at the academy used to tease her about her read hair and she would beat them up.

Michiko revealed that she never really got beat anyone's ass since it was usually either her mother or father —sometimes both— would just spend training time kicking her butt.

It wasn't a particularly long journey to the campsite, but being exhausted and in enemy territory made it feel like an eternity passed. And while Kushina chose conserved as much of her strength and chakra as she could, Michiko made sure to keep her sensing abilities on high alert, prepared to tell the woman of even the smallest human chakra coming their way.

So for them, the light hearted conversation was a nice way to keep the nerves and jitters at bay, or at least it was for Michiko. She had a feeling that Kushina by now was able to keep her calm even if she was surrounded my enemies.

At their makeshift infirmary, Michiko and Kushina got patched up. The older female being told that she should rest for the next couple of hours in order to replenish her chakra and strength. While Michiko was told that she should not put pressure on her right leg for the next couple of days. The bone didn't break, but it hadn't been far from it and the burns were rather bad.

Once the medic left, Minato —who up till that point had been speaking in hushed tones with Kushina— came up to her.

Michiko wasn't stupid, she knew that questions would be asked and that she would have to be careful with what she said.

"I believe some thanks are due," he began, causing Michiko's to wonder what he meant. Was he talking about the medical treatment?

"That is true, thank you ninja-san," she said, bowing her head at the man and completely missing the bewildered look that he shot Kushina.

"Wha— No, no, you misunderstood me. I meant that I owe you a thank you, for helping out Kushina. She can be quite a handful," he said jokingly.

"Hey, I'm right here!" The woman in question exclaimed indignantly.

"Oh," Michiko said, after realising her mistake. "That shouldn't be something you thank me for," she said, much to the confusion of the two adults she was talking to.

"She's family, so of course I would help…not that I was of any real help to be honest'"she said, laughing awkwardly at the end. And as Michiko was solely focused on Minato, she missed the looked that flashed across Kushina's face. She did however notice when the older redhead hugged her, all teary eyed as she rubbed their faces against one another affectionately.

For so long Kushina had tried to forget about her family in Uzushiogakure, to forget the pain since she found out that it was destroyed. So she threw herself into her training, made new friends and memories and tried to bury the old ones because it hurt too much to deal with them.

Yet this girl appears in her life out of the blue and for the first time ever she learns that not everyone died in that tragedy. And, for the first time in a long while, Kushina was able to speak about her childhood before Konoha without feeling awkward or judged.

"But how did you know she family? Or do you always go and help strangers?" Minato questioned, all pleasant smiles and gentle movements which only Kushina knew to be fake.

' _Stop it_ ,' Kushina thought. Yes, it was true that it was odd and she was curious too about how the girl knew who she was before helping, if she even knew beforehand. But she didn't bring Michiko-chan here to be interrogated. Just as Kushina was about to make her feeling on the matter known, Michiko explained her actions:

"It was because of her chakra," she began, voice firm, looking Minato in the eyes. "Everyone has a unique chakra signature true, but there are certain aspects of everyone's signature that are the same," she carried on. At this point the other ninja in the makeshift hospital stopped trying to be subtle about spying into their conversation and were blatantly staring.

After all, knowledge could be the difference between life and death in their world; and who was going to say no to free information.

"This is particularly true of people who are closely related. So for example, theoretically as long as you meet one person from a particular clan and you are a good enough sensor, then you would be able to tell if someone else is from their clan even if you have never encountered said individual,"

It seemed that this was new information for most people present, as far as Michiko could tell and judging by Minato's expression he one of the ones who knew of this information.

"So are you saying that you recognised Kushina as being an Uzumaki from her chakra," the blond accurately concluded.

"Yes," Michiko confirmed, "I can, theoretically, tell you who most people are related to, because family members also share a common point in their chakra. I only say theoretically, because you need to be really familiar with a particular chakra signature, or family in order too do this, otherwise it just becomes another feature of someone's chakra signature," she carried on.

"I see," Minato felt like a boulder was lifted of his shoulders. The girl didn't look like an enemy, but one couldn't be too careful. For now he wouldn't do anything, at least he knew what she said to be true.

"By the way Michiko-chan, how old are you?" he asked, looking at her up and down, trying to gauge her age. She looked very young but Kushina described her as having quite a bit of skill.

Then again, Kakashi-kun was also very young and that didn't make him any weaker than any of the other ninja present, just less experienced.

Though, Minato kept thinking, he was a prodigy that was raised and trained in a shinobi village, and if this girl really wasn't affiliated with any of the shinobi villages…

However he never got to finish his though as Michiko cheerly told him:

"Oh, I'm nearly ten."

 **-two days later-**

Michiko was sitting by a tree stump next to the medical tent, busy making explosive tags. After the first day, she demanded to know if there was anything she could do to help.

She couldn't leave due to her injuries and Kushina demanded that she at least stay till she was healed up. However, she was extremely worried for her family, as she couldn't exactly send them a message from within the Konoha camp without raising some alarms.

Kushina was healthy enough to rejoined the fight, so that left Michiko alone most of the time, and while the remaining ninja were ordered to leave her alone she could feel them looking at her whenever they passed her.

Thus she asked for some ink and blank tags, which they didn't really have in large quantities, and proceeded to make the explosive tags so as to repay their help and occupy her mind.

Initially, there was scepticism among the shinobi about her making the tag, apparently —Michiko learnt— shinobi were the biggest gossip queens in the world.

But after some words from the older Uzumaki and a test run regarding the efficiency of her tags, the others shut up and let her fill her time doing something.

—.—.—.—

It was the following night that something drastic enough happened that Michiko had to be involved.

Iwa was Konoha's main enemy at this point. Sure, there were still some shinobi from other villages roaming about, but compared to Iwa they were nothing.

Kushina told Michiko that Iwagakure were growing bolder and bolder as time passed.

"We are thinking about destroying their main supply pathway, but the bridge is heavily guarded, so we haven't had a chance to do anything yet." Which might have been more information than Kushina was strictly allowed to say, but it seemed that, like Michiko, Kushina had taken a leap of faith and chose to place her trust in her.

Thus, knowing all this, it was not completely surprising that Iwa ninja had chosen to attack the campsite. She was able to feel multiple chakra signatures approaching, and was about to point it out to the ninja she was sharing a table with, when some alarm must have been given, because everyone jumped to action.

"Go to the medical facility girl, you're still injured," the male next to her said. Feeling panic well up inside her, Michiko tried to sense Kushina or even Minato's location for guidance. She didn't particularly felt like being a sitting duck and this was not the time to do things on her own.

Yes, she had fought before, but never had she been in this sort of situation. This was not some random encounter with a small group of ninja.

No.

This was war.

And she was right smack in the middle of the soon-to-be battle-zone. Add the fact that she was injured and thus not at her full fighting potential, and you had a recipe for disaster.

Michiko was by no means prepared for this sort of situation, so like any child she went seeking some adult reassurance. Because no matter how mentally mature she was, this was a completely foreign situation, in which _winging it,_ was not an option.

Thus, once she located Minato's chakra, she speed up without glancing back, ignoring the pain from her injuries as she made her way to the blond.

She arrived while he was giving out orders to a group of ninja and waited till they went to their post before approaching him.

"What should I do?" she asked, causing the blond to glance at her in surprise. Minato gave her a once over before frowning:

"Return to the clinic Michiko-san, you're injured, and you might not be able to receive backup," he commanded. It wasn't something she was entirely happy about, she wanted to help! But she also understood the wisdom of his words.

"Here," she said, handing Minato some of the tags she had made, using most of her own paper supply, but at least it was still something. Gratefully nodding, he accepted her offering, quickly stashing them in his uniform. 'At least she doesn't argue unnecessarily,' he thought.

Any further thoughts were interrupted as strong tremors started rocking the earth. Screams were soon to follow and with a curse Minato also disappeared to join his comrades.

Now she was alone and the battle started. She tried to sense of the chakra signatures around her but she could not differentiate between Konoha and Iwa.

Cursing, even more, she forcefully took in a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. Then she very carefully circulated chakra into her damaged leg like her mother had taught her to try and alleviate the pain.

Once done, she started to weigh the consequences of helping. Returning to the clinic without fighting was a big no-no. The place was swamped in chakra signatures and it was beginning to give her a headache.

But helping out in her condition would likely also prove to be more of a bother than help if she was not careful. Unconsciously biting her bottom lip, Michiko decided that becoming a standing target was, for the moment, the worst thing she could do. Especially given that her hair was practically a beacon screaming, _I'm here, I'm here_ for any nearby shinobi.

It didn't even take two full minutes before she encountered her first fight, though considering it was three Konoha-nin against two Iwa-nin… 'they don't really need my help,' she thought after watching the fight for a bit. Although she couldn't stop herself from sending a chakra chain underground and catching one of the Iwa-nin that was preparing to use a technique. Her interference broke his concentration enough for one of the Konoha shinobi to swiftly decapitate him.

She received the barest of acknowledgements, in the form of a brief glance from the shinobi that dealt the finishing blow. Not that she actually minded, this was neither the time nor place for such airs; that and she didn't care much about things like that in the first place.

Continuing onwards, she had to dodge a kunai aimed for her head. Turning around quickly she saw an Iwa-nin staring at her, kunai out and snarling like a mad dog. She had just enough time to realise that he looked really young before she had to leap backwards and avoid several earth pillars from skewering her.

'Well, _fuck._ ' Biting her thumb, she went through familiar hand signs before slamming her right hand to the ground.

It was several hours later that Michiko could rest, exhausted, covered in bruises and cuts and this time with a broken ankle and a dislocated shoulder to add to the list, the later was not as painful once a nice enough guy set it in place for her.

She was sitting in a clearing, Konoha shinobi all around her, some disposing of the enemy corpses, some patrolling, but the large majority were resting or talking amongst themselves.

Michiko was given a wide berth, very few being reasonably close to her. Although that might have to do with her angry summons that were surrounding her. Though, Tsubaki was the only seriously angry one.

Mitsuki was essentially plastered to her lap, refusing to leave causing her to briefly wonder whether or not he would be scolding her as well if he could talk but immediately discarded the thought, he was more of the cuddly type.

To her left was Ryoshi, the oldest of the present foxes. He had a dark red coat, with white tipped ears and tail, big as a wolf and wearing a teal vest with Shakkudō-rin's symbol imprinted on it. He was wicked fast and had a mean bite, often training with Michiko and Mitsuki to help improve their speed.

On either side, behind her, were the twins: Mimi and Kiki, they had bright orange fur and wore bells on their front paws to aid their jutsu. Since, much like Tsubaki —and most of the fox population— they were genjutsu users. Although their speciality was in sound illusions.

She ended up helping a small squad of Konoha ninja as they were surrounded by Iwa-nin, and that encounter alone caused her to break her ankle. But after finally defeating the enemy and losing three of their own, the tired soldiers were ambushed by another Iwa team.

The medical-nin present healed her wounds, but couldn't do much about the broken bone with the little chakra he had left. And for one moment, Michiko thought about using her own healing ability, however she dismissed the thought immediately.

She had already revealed her summons and if she were to reveal that ability, no amount of good will from Kushina and Minato would be enough to prevent the higher-ups from ordering her capture. Or, more appropriately, from retaining her if they though her ability too good to let go off. After all, what better than someone who could speed up one's healing exponentially?

No, that technique would be a life or death resort, which considering her state and the shinobi around her, might be sooner rather than later. Reinforcements did come in the end and Michiko managed to last till the last of the Iwa-nin retreated.

Which ultimately led to her current pitiful state. Cracking open an eye she surveyed her surroundings, far too exhausted to use chakra to do so and noted that Tsubaki had stopped lecturing her and was sitting at her feet. She gave a tired smile and murmured a thank you to the foxes for answering her call.

It was only the third time that she had managed to do a multiple summoning, as it tended to take far more chakra than she was willing to use.

She was seriously debating falling asleep right then and there when Kushina frantically burst into the clearing. The moment she spotted her cousin the woman made a beeline towards the exhausted girl.

Her appearance was so sudden that nobody had a chance to react before she flung herself at Michiko, squeezing the life out of the girl. It was eventually Mitsuki's wine of pain from being squeezed between two bodies that made Kushina release her and actually take note of the surroundings.

She took note of the foxes looking at her —glaring in Tsubaki's case— and blinked owlishly for a bit before seeming to decide that she didn't want to know.

"Are you alright?" she questioned, looking Michiko up and down, taking note of her injuries but sighing in relief when nothing appeared life threatening.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine," Michiko noted that Kushina also looked rather ragged, but nowhere near as bad as the rest of them here. 'It must be a testament of how good a shinobi she is,' she thought, as the girl doubted that her fights were any easier.

"Why weren't you at the camp, you should have stayed there dattebane!" the older redhead scolded, causing Tsubaki to actually give her an approving look.

It was only after that the woman seemed to remember Michiko's summons and paid them any mind.

"Wha-Who are these guys," the older Uzumaki quickly corrected herself, noting the way Ryoshi was looking at her.

"These are my summons. Well, they are more like an extended family," which was true enough. The skulk quickly grew on her and she tried her best to get to know them all individually. A challenge in and of itself, considering the sheer amount of them. But since not all of them were nin-foxes she had a smaller group to concentrate on.

"This is Mitsuki," she pointed to the youngest member present.

"Tsubaki," Kushina followed her hand to greet the one who returned to glaring at her, prompting a bout of nervous laugh out of her.

"Ryoshi," Kushina inclined her head towards the oldest fox present.

"And these two are Mimi and Kiki," she finished introducing the twins.

Time seemed to slow down as the silence stretched out and eventually Kushina got up and gently picked up the much younger female.

"Lets get you patched up, alright?"

 **-a week later-**

By this point Michiko was becoming increasingly more anxious. She has been gone for almost three weeks and was unable to send news to her family without risking suspicion about her motives or her home's location.

It was something she confided with Kushina one evening as they were eating together and the woman offered to have a message sent to them via eagle —after its contents were checked of course— but that would allow Konoha to track down her home and as much as she liked Kushina and had no reason to mistrust her; the goodwill of one person did not reflect on the whole group. In this case said group were a bunch of war-hardened paranoid ninja.

Yeah, she didn't want to risk it. But she couldn't afford to stay here any longer either, least her parents leave to try and track her down themselves. 'And wouldn't that be fun,' Michiko thought sarcastically.

It was night time but Michiko, out of sheer boredom, decided to join Kushina and one more shinobi —whose name refused to stick in her brain— on their patrol. Her foot was wrapped up and allowed to heal naturally after the medic set it and healed the fracture, but it was still tender and would take at least two weeks before she would be allowed to even run. So she was quite lucky that they were in no hurry with the patrol and Kushina didn't seem to mind her tagging along. After all, it was not like she really knew anyone else that she felt comfortable enough to stay with. Even as it was, she did not get to spend as much time as she wanted with her fellow redhead as the woman was often in meetings or sent on missions.

But the time they did spend together the two talked constantly, swapping stories from their childhood and once when Kushina was to stay at the camp for the entire day, they found a more secluded spot in which they shared some of their knowledge on fūinjutsu. The older kunoichi even gave her tips with regards to her chakra chains, explaining who she made her own stronger.

Even Tsubaki warmed up to Kushina to some extent, after deciding that the woman was no immediate threat to his stupid summoner, while Mitsuki on the other hand was won over after she took him in her lap and petted him. It was cute seeing the energetic kunoichi play with the foxes, although the girl was not oblivious to her initial reluctance or the look she would shoot towards them every now and then. It made wonder if it had anything to do with her jinchuuriki status. After all, Kushina was _the_ _host_ for the nine tailed _fox_.

Even Minato seemed taken back when he came upon the foxes for the first time and seemed to do a double take at the view. Before Michiko cheerily pointed to herself, as way of explaining their presence.

He didn't ask her any questions.

 **-4 days later-**

Her ankle was still not fully healed, but when the medic changed her bandages, she agreed that if she really had to, Michiko could start applying more weight to it, as long as she was careful.

With this news she went to hunt down Kushina, her cousin was meant to go on a reconnaissance mission some time today and she wanted to say her goodbyes to her.

Their parting made both redheads sad, as they had started growing quite close throughout Michiko's stay.

Michiko was the first family member that she had interacted with since she left Uzushiogakure, so she did not feel ashamed to admit that she had grown to care about the little girl. There was also the fact that she was so young and wasn't even completely recovered, and she worried about her returning home safely. It was true that age, especially for ninjas, was not a reliable indicator of someone's skill. Kushina only needed to think of Kakashi to remind herself of that. Plus she did have her summons, but nevertheless the girl was still just nine years old and _her cousin_ damn it.

Honestly, why was she even allowed out on her own?

Then again, Kushina already knew the answer. You just couldn't keep an Uzumaki locked up forever, especially one as energetic as Michiko, who was admittedly not bad for her age. However the fact that she was in Kusa no Kuni was admittedly strange.

In all honesty, he still had some questions but refrained from asking for Kushina's sake.

It was still odd, but the girl fought beside them, risking her life and undoubtedly saving quite a few when Iwa attacked them.

Looking at the teary-eyed girl Kushina gave her a brilliant smile and made her promise to get home safely.

"And when this war is over you better come visit me in Konoha, I'll deal with anyone that could possibly have a problem with that," she said, nodding sagely whilst Minato chuckled.

After exchanging hugs —Mitsuki yipped till he got one too— Minato ruffled the girl's hair and then saw her off. She was to be escorted by one of their ninja to the outer perimeter and was to keep a discreet visual on her to make sure that she really had left. The two adults that she befriended being unable to do so, for they had other duties to take care of.

After thanking her escort, Michiko kept to the path she was on until she neared the country's border and felt that her shadow had finally left her, then after a routine check she deviated off track, stooping on a tree branch before bringing her right arm to her mouth biting till her teeth broke the skin. She felt the draw of her chakra as it was guided to heal the damage she sustained. Once her wounds were fully healed the girl pulled her arm away, watching as the small wound healed itself, leaving behind only the imprint of her teeth.

That done, Michiko speed home, no longer held back by her injuries and cutting down on the time needed to reach her home significantly.

Needless to say that the moment she walked through her family's perimeter a red blur tackled Michiko to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably into the girl's shoulder. This was the longest Michiko was ever away from home so she could understand the reaction.

Takeshi was not far behind as he leaned against the trunk of a tree, watching as Natsumi attempted to scold Michiko through her sobbing. The child couldn't see her father's expression from this position but she could only guess based off her mother's one.

When the woman calmed down and got up she pulled Michiko along to their house where Ayaka was already waiting for them, being the first to demand what retained Michiko for so long.

Winching in preparation for what was about to happen, she reluctantly told them what happened the past weeks, watching as their expressions grew more scared as she told them about the Kusa and Iwa ninja, before anger took over and they began shouting at her for being so foolish.

Needless to say, she was grounded.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait guys! I procrastinated with this chapter so much, it was meant to be for Christmas but...**

 **Ah well, I hope at least the length makes up for the wait. We are about 2 chapters away from Naruto's birth and then we can start seeing Michiko take a more proactive role.**

 **Out of curiosity what do you guys thing about Minato, would you like him to live or not? I have already decided what I want to do in regards to Naruto and his parents, but I had quite a long debate about whether or not I should keep him alive.**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE THAT HAS READ, REVIEWED, FAVOURED OR FOLLOWED THIS STORY. Please let me know what you think in the reviews! I really take your comments into account, which reminds me,**

 **Thank You grifman275! Haha I know she says it when she is exited, flustered or just general highs of emotion, but I think it was me that was exited so I got a bit carried away with the ttebane, thank you for pointing it out, I made sure to adjust that!**


	10. Konoha

**Mild Edit:07/01/17**

* * *

 **-2 years and 6 months later-**

Michiko had some very busy years, between training and exploring. Her father deemed her ready to try and learn some more advanced fire techniques, having spent time in the past mainly focusing on her control over both her chakra and flames, which Michiko was ashamed to say sucked.

"Ninjutsu and fūinjutsu masters? You come find an Uzumaki. Medic and genjutsu masters? Not so much," was what Takeshi said one day after noting Michiko's dejected look. Other than their regenerative ability, which a lot of pure-blooded Uzumaki inherited due to their remarkably powerful life-force, their family wasn't much in the art of healing. As their chakra reserves were naturally too large for them to be able to achieve the pin-point control a medical ninja needed, simply because it was so difficult to control such a great amount of it.

The beginning of the second year marked a milestone in Mitsuki's life. After careful tuition since he was just a kit. Mitsuki —now four years old— said his first word!

In truth, the whole thing sounded impressive, only till she said what the word was, which was "play" as Michiko was ignoring him and he was utterly bored. Nevertheless it was still his first human word, so they celebrated and got him a new forest-green shemagh that went really well with his fur. And she bragged to the rest of the skulk that little Mitsuki was amazing and that was that.

Michiko was also extremely excited, as her grandmother —a fūinjutsu master— declared that she was making rapid improvement herself.

One of the reasons so few mastered the art was its confusing nature. There was not just _one_ way of making a seal. As a matter of fact there wasn't even one seal language. And in all reality one could invent a whole new set of symbols to create seals that are just as effective. However there was a limit to how many ways a human could think of things, so the likelihood of someone spawning a whole new seal language —a completely new one— was slim.

The most common form of seal writing was kanji, however that tended to take more time to write. There were various esoteric symbols that had been created for the purpose of making things faster. Then of course shapes and numbers played a large part in understanding sealing. For example, circles are used to ensure chakra flows constantly and does not accumulate in one place for too long, or to prevent 'clogging.'

Circles were actually the basic from which the spiral sealing of the Uzumaki clan originated from. Numbers, for example, had to be carefully used since if an odd-numbered seal was placed over or used at the same time as an even-numbered seal an imbalance would be created, which would destabilise and weaken a seal.

There was also a certain degree of memorisation required for fūinjutsu, but in order to really succeed in sealing you had to intrinsically understand your seals. You had to _own_ them.

Of course one of the skills any master of the art possessed was the ability to generate seals without ink, or another means of writing. This was done by being able to use your own chakra and direct it to creates the seals for you, like with the summoning technique. Even if you did not understand fūinjutsu, once you learned the correct hand signs you could direct your chakra flow in such a way that your chakra would create the sealing array for you. True masters could do this by a simple touch, such as in Minato's case.

It involved a lot of hard work and at times, her old knowledge would make learning certain concepts quite difficult.

For example, the majority of seals one learns manipulate space and time in some form or another. The very concept of literally altering reality, and sealing things into objects significantly smaller, gave her headaches for weeks in the very beginning. And this was not bringing into equation summoning and teleportation, Michiko was still perfectly capable of holding debates with herself for hours on this topic.

Even chakra, which was really just energy manifesting at ones will, was an interesting concept to debate in her mind, comparing it to what she could remember of her old life and world. The feats one could easily do in this world would be impossible in the old one, and try as she might to figure out why, she was unable to. Thus, in order to avoid an existential crisis, she attempted to avoid thinking of it and just rolled with the flow.

So yes, it was rather humbling to think that her hard work was paying off and she was getting closer and closer to that level. But at the same time it made her incredibly proud.

'Ah, I love fūinjutsu.'

—.—.—.—

Right now she was hopping from tree branch to tree branch, Mitsuki right behind her, gold fur glistening in the late spring light. She had to give it to Hi no Kuni, they had great fauna, although she could do without all the insects.

Heading towards Konohagakure, her thoughts were once again on Kushina. The war had stopped a little over two years ago, and all five of the major hidden villages had agreed on a cease fire, ordering their remaining shinobi to return.

Michiko of course did not know when exactly Naruto was due to be born, a key even in order to help establish a timeline, and she desperately wanted to meet with Kushina again.

Since there was no news of Kurama being unleashed upon the village that she had heard of, Michiko concluded that Kushina was still alive and refused to postpone the meeting any longer.

When she told her family about the woman, her grandmother confirmed that she had heard about the girl.

"She was taken to Konoha to take over for Mito-sama," she said and although the youngest Uzumaki knew exactly what that meant, her parents looked a bit confused so she asked her grandmother to elaborate. Which, after a bit of uncertainty on Ayako's part, she did, telling them that Kushina was tasked with becoming the Kyūbi's new jinchūriki.

It scared her parents enough to tell Michiko to avoid the woman, which of course led to an argument about how ridiculous they were being that carried on well into the afternoon. They, more than others should understand that a jinchūriki only posed a threat in non-combat situations if they had a pathetically weak seal. And considering who the jinchūriki was…that was unlikely.

The only other thing that worried her was actually entering the village. They were bound to ask for some form of identification and Michiko did not posses such a thing as her parents had not declared themselves to Yu no Kuni for said country to issue them such documents.

She realised that the trees were thinning up ahead, becoming a large open space, so she jumped down from the branch she was on, landing on the main road, before she proceeded to continue her journey.

Michiko did not have to walk far at all, barely a couple of steps and she was already able to see the walls up ahead, followed by the massive gates. As she neared the gate, she was able to distinguish the features of people milling about, and could make out a cubicle that, once she actually reached the threshold of the gate, could see contained two ninjas wearing the standard uniform.

They were talking but upon noticing her approaching stopped, and one of them went to greet her.

"Hello there, traveller. Your identification and reason for coming?" he asked, friendly smile in place but eyes analysing her every movement.

'Well, here goes nothing,' she thought, ' you can do it.'

"I have none," she declared, causing the ninja to lose composure for a moment and stare at her in surprise before a suspicious frown took its place. By now his partner was next to him, looking at her too with a raised eyebrow and deceptively lax posture.

"I do not posses any form of identification, never had, I'm not officially affiliated with any country or village," she told them honestly, seeing no reason to have made up some weird and exciting tale about how she conveniently lost her documentation.

Anyone could plainly see that she was no civilian, and child or not, this required for a bit more digging and suspicion.

"Uzumaki Michiko," she said, causing this time the both of them to look surprised. "And I am here to visit my cousin Uzumaki Kushina," Michiko wasn't completely sure if she should have given them Kushina's name or not, but it certainly couldn't have hurt. She had a strong inkling that the woman's name was rather well know within the village.

And if the guards' reaction was anything to go by the girl was right. After all, woman was one of the best shinobi in the entire village, and had a bit of a reputation due to her…temper. Looking at the kid in front of them, they could see some family resemblance, if only in the hair alone.

However that didn't explain her lack of documentation as a ninja, and they were also not informed of any family visit today.

Not to mention that they thought that the Uzumaki clan was killed off when Uzushiogakure was destroyed. Reaching a decision they asked a couple more questions before one of them escorted her to the Hokage tower. Surely the Yondaime will know what to do.

—.—.—.—

'All in all, it could have been worse,' Michiko mused as she swung her legs back and forth on the chair she was sitting. It must have been over an hour since she arrived in Konohagakure and was escorted to see the Hokage, who due to a meeting couldn't see them till after it was done. She didn't complain though, and mainly sat in her chair petting Mitsuki and being utterly bored.

After two hours, the door to the Hokage's office opened and three elders exited. The ninja who escorted her, and ultimately remained to keep an eye on her, quickly bowed to the three figures as they passed, allowing Michiko to note that they must be rather influential to receive this kind of response.

The elders, she hypothesised, missing the glance they all threw her way as they passed by.

However, her musings ended when a tired "You may enter" finally called out and her escort jumped to action, quite literally. He ushered Michiko into the office and once again bowed deeply to the man seated behind the desk.

Michiko, on the other hand, couldn't stop the grin on her face when she recognised —although she already knew— the Hokage.

"Minato!" She exclaimed, causing the ninja next to her to send her a wide eyed, open mouthed look, and the man in question to look up sharply at the twelve-year-old with a fox seated at her feet.

Looking at her up and down, it only took a couple seconds before his own eyes widened, as memories —from a time he would rather forget— resurfaced. Bringing with them the identity of the beaming girl, who throughout the years was mentioned more than once by his wife.

In the end, he could feel a smile stretching across his own face as he called out her name, unable to fully keep out the question in it;

"Michiko-san?"

* * *

 **A/N: To make up for the rather slow update from last time XD**

 **Thank you for the feedback guys! I hope you will like this chapter and the ones following it! Please let me know of any improvements or mistakes that you may notice, I don't mind criticism :)**

 **See you next time!**


	11. Kushina-nee

**Beta: The awesome Prince Nemui**

 **Mild Edit:07/01/17**

* * *

After dismissing her 'escort,' Minato asked her how she was, and what had brought her to Konoha.

"Ah, sorry if this caused any trouble," Michiko replied sheepishly, "I was hoping to see Kushina."

Smiling indulgently at the young girl, he thought of how Kushina would react and couldn't help the grin that formed on his face.

Admittedly, even he had wondered about how the girl before him was doing, and Kushina certainly had never forgotten the only blood-related family member she knew to still be alive.

Mind made up, he quickly checked to see if he had any other meetings, before arranging the documents and scrolls on his desk neatly. No need to have his secretary want to murder him.

Getting up, he motioned for Michiko to follow him towards the window.

"Minato-san?"

Flashing her a grin, he whispered: "Let's avoid the door, I don't want my secretary to spot me."

The stress and headache from the previous meeting was pushed far back in his mind. He could deal with it later, right now he wanted to deliver his surprise to Kushina and with a quick glance at the clock noted that they might even make it in time for lunch.

"Shall we?" he asked, climbing up onto the windowsill. Blinking a couple of times at this turn of events, Michiko matched Minato's grin, and together with Tsubaki followed after the famous yellow flash.

—.—.—.—

They walked up to Minato and Kushina's house, in no particular hurry and enjoying the nice weather. The blonde would point out various stalls and shops, telling her which ones he preferred and why.

As they made their way through the village several people would greet Minato and send (not so discrete) questioning looks towards Michiko, who for her part often turned her gaze downwards to hide her blush. She was not very used to people staring at her so openly, and even being surrounded by so many people at once was a new experience.

To the villagers, it wasn't surprising to see their Kage accompanied by a redhead, after all, it was known that he had something going with the resident red-hair. The only difference was that Kushina was a grown woman, while Michiko was a prepubescent girl.

Reaching their house, Minato told Michiko to hide behind him as he made his way inside.

"Tadaima!" he greeted once he entered, taking his shoes off at the entrance quickly to go and distract Kushina. Michiko followed him slowly, after taking off her own shoes.

"Minato?" a female voice asked from inside the house. When she heard the other set of footsteps she hid behind the corner, Mitsuki on her shoulder, as they tried to peek at the adults.

She could see Kushina coming out of what must have been the kitchen, long red hair unbound and wearing a light blue apron and a short sleeved orange top. It caused Michiko to blink a couple of times before a soft smile graced her features.

She looked very happy when she went to greet Minato, giving him a hug, while he gently twirled her around.

"Okaeri. I thought you wouldn't make it for lunch?" she asked, looking questioningly at him.

Minato gave a small laugh, having positioned Kushina in from of him, her back at Michiko, he could see the girl hiding behind the corner, and was doing a mighty fine job at holding in his laughter.

"Ah, yes. Well, after that meeting I just wanted to take a break," he told her. Giving him a knowing look, Kushina held in a snort.

"You just wanted to skip out on the paperwork," she accused, smirk in place and hands on her hips.

"And here I am, simply wanting to see your beautiful face. I even got you a surprise" he sighed in mock sadness before a grin pulled at his mouth corners.

"Surprise?" she asked, looking at Minato, before turning around to try and _spot_ said surprise.

Taking this as her cue, Michiko swiftly left her hiding place to stand in the open, hands playing with the sleeves of her kimono nervously.

When Kushina turned around, she didn't know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't a young girl with red hair. When said girl looked up, she felt her breath catch in her throat as those red eyes locked with her own purple ones.

A second passed and then two, Michiko was getting more and more nervous, even Minato was slightly surprised, having expected a different reaction. But when a loud squeal of excitement left the woman's throat, he relaxed. 'That's more like it,' he thought in relief.

The older redhead promptly launched herself at the girl, almost causing them both to fall and held the teen tightly to her chest.

"Michiko-chan! Michiko-chan! It's you!" The older female squealed, finally loosening her hold on the dazed girl to get a better look at her. She also noted the fox on her shoulders, prompting another exclamation of happiness to leave her throat.

Michiko, for her part, tried to collect her bearings. But when she did, her excitement matched that of Kushina and she promptly returned the hug, Mitsuki yapping happily as well.

"Kushina," she said in the woman's embrace, smiling happily. Minato was just leaning on the kitchen entrance, watching the two happy females' reunion. He was beyond delighted seeing Kushina like this, her smile lighting up the whole space. He was glad that the young girl had come to visit.

"Oh my, look how much you've grown, dattebane," Kushina said. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Well, I did promise to come visit you. Although… I wasn't sure if you'd remembered," Michiko confessed, her nervousness making an appearance once again.

"Nonsense!" Kushina exclaimed, "Come, let's all have lunch. Do you like fish?" she asked, delighted when she received an affirmative nod from the girl. Minato simply laughed at their exchange and Michiko finally took a seat after Kushina told her that she didn't have to help.

During lunch, Kushina asked her cousin about what she has been up and likewise the girl enquired about how the two of them had been, slightly teasing them about their relationship.

"It was obvious that Minato-san was smitten with you, even back then," she said, eliciting a blush from both of them.

Although when she said that she probably wasn't going to be able to stay for long, Kushina got upset. Michiko awkwardly explained that she didn't know how much inns costed here, and that she didn't really have money. It was a bit of a foreign feeling, since money wasn't much of a problem at home, her parents earning enough from bounties and missions, so that they could afford the necessities, everything else that they could possibly need such as food was grown or hunted from their forest. But here in a village, she could feel that they really didn't have that much, yet her parents still gave her money for travel along with some of the savings Michiko had made from the rare missions she took from people. Hunting for a bounty by herself was completely prohibited by her parents.

After some cajoling from both adults, they convinced Michiko that it would be absolutely no problem if she stayed in the guest bedroom. When they finished eating Michiko insisted that she should help clean up, as Kushina said goodbye to Minato, who unfortunately said that he had to finish the paperwork tonight and that he might be late.

It was then that Michiko noticed something that she should have realised from the get-go. Unable to stifle her exclamation of surprise, the two adults turned to see what had happened, only to see Michiko staring wide-eyed at Kushina's belly —which was had a slight, but certainly noticeable, bump.

"Kushina, are you…?" the question was left hanging in the air but Kushina's proud smile was answer enough. Widening her eyes even further, Michiko had to bring her hands up to try and muffle her excited squeal, jumping up and down on the spot for a moment. The perfect portrayal of a delighted child.

"Congratulations!" she finally let out, much to the amusement of the two. Kissing Kushina's cheek once more, Minato went to exit the house, ruffling Michiko's hair on the way and even stopping to pet Mitsuki, who, after being fed, had taken a nap.

Kushina showed her to the guest bedroom, nothing grand, just a small room with a bed and clean sheets. Immediately after, Michiko all but interrogated Kushina about the baby.

"Do you know the gender?"

"Not yet, but I have an appointment in a couple of days, I'll find out then," she answered, even asked Michiko if she would like to accompany her, which she accepted. The young redhead was really happy for Kushina, the woman's own happiness being palpable, making it was hard not to feel the same. But Michiko also knew that the birth of this child marked more than just an addition to the family. It would mark Kushina and Minato's death. The child shoved the sombre thought to the back of her mind for now, unwilling to give something away by accident through her expression.

Looking at her smiling cousin, Michiko vowed to try her best to prevent it, somehow. She didn't know the exact details of what happened that night, other that Obito came and released Kurama and she had often wondered what she could do to change that outcome, or if she even should. That is, of course, if it was even possible for her to change it.

Logically, if she just knew that something was meant to happen, she would warn someone and do her best to save her family. But she only knew what was meant to happen theoretically, and that left her wondering if she should do anything. Naruto had to become a jinchūriki, that could not change, especially if this world really did follow the timeline she knew; but would it be that bad if his parents survived?

She couldn't prevent the unleashing of the Kyūbi and the majority of the deaths that this would cause, but call her selfish, she really didn't care about anyone but Kushina and Minato. It wasn't like she knew anyone else or owned them anything. Michiko wasn't the type to think she could save everyone or the whole world. That was nothing but a dream, in her opinion. She was far more selfish than that and was not about to deny it.

They ended up talking till late into the night, falling asleep, Michiko balled up against Kushina. Which was how an exhausted Minato found them before he gently moved them both to their respective beds and covered them with blankets.

He had a feeling that the house would be more lively for the next couple of days, before he too fell asleep next to Kushina.

* * *

 **A/N: Why does fanfiction do this to me? I update a story, the chapter get added but then it doesn't actually appear to have been updated? I usually combat this by writing another chapter and posting it, so lucky you I guess?**

 **Please tell me what you guys think or if any of you encountered the same problem as me and what you do to solve it?**


	12. Philosophy

**Edited: 6 May 2016**

 **Beta: The fabulous and lovely Prince Nemui**

 **Mild Edit:07/01/17**

* * *

 **-4 days later-**

Michiko and Kushina spent most of their time together, especially since Minato had to spend the majority of his time at the Hokage tower.

However, today, all three of them were eating breakfast together and the man was in no hurry, having taken the morning off so that he could come with Kushina to her appointment.

It was sweet, in Michiko's opinion, if a bit awkward to be in their presence, as they were clearly in love. But nonetheless, she was glad to see them so happy.

Putting the dishes away they all went to put their shoes on before leaving the house, making their way to the hospital.

Kushina didn't particularly like staying indoors, and it was a bit frustrating for the woman that she couldn't train, so she dragged Michiko outside to show her around Konoha. It was by far one of the most populated places she has ever been to, the capital of Yu no Kuni not included. But what she found to be amazing was the amount of ninja present. They were seen throughout the entire village, it was refreshing not having to worry about them wanting to kill you.

Kushina promised to take her out for dango later that day, and said that they could eat it under the cherry blossoms, as the woman was practically horrified to find out that Michiko had never enjoyed taking part in hanami before.

Entering the hospital, Michiko took careful note of her surroundings —much like she had done while walking through the village— and catalogued it in her memory.

On one hand, seeing everything that went into building and maintaining a village made her worry that she would never be able to achieve such a feat. On the flip side, seeing all the people living and interacting with each other made her desire to rebuild Uzushiogakure burn even hotter. She wanted this. For her family, and for those whose homes were ripped away from them.

'Who's dreaming now,' she thought.

Pushing aside those thoughts for now, she concentrated on Kushina as the woman took her place on the bed, Minato by her side holding her hand. Michiko when to stand next to Minato, giving the nurse space to work undeterred on the other side.

The nursed asked Kushina some rudimentary questions about how she was feeling, noting everything down in a file before saying that Sarutobi-sama would be with her shortly. 'Sarutobi?' Michiko wondered. Looking at Minato and Kushina she saw that this did not seem surprising to them.

It didn't take long after the nurse left for an elderly woman with long brown hair tied in a high ponytail to appear.

"Ah, Kushina, Minato, how are you both?" she asked them pleasantly, smiling slightly at the two. She then noticed Michiko standing by Minato and stopped, surprised at the unexpected new arrival.

"Lady Biwako," Kushina replied, Minato also bowing his head and uttered a greeting. Following their cue, Michiko also bowed her head to the woman and greeted her.

"And who might this young girl be?" she asked, looking at Michiko, or her hair rather.

Not missing a beat, the redhead introduced herself, followed by Minato's explanation of how she had come to see Kushina.

The three seemed to be silently communicating with each other, sending messages with their eyes alone, while Michiko grew increasingly uncomfortable, wondering if it was wrong for her to come with the couple.

She instructed Kushina to lay on the bed and lift her shirt, proceeding with the examination. Lady Biwako informed them that the baby was developing normally and was completely healthy. Eventually, after drawing it out as much as she could by telling both Kushina and Minato what they had to do, the elder revealed that they were expecting a baby boy. Approximately at the end of September or early October.

The news was received with whoops of joy from everyone present, even Lady Biwako couldn't suppress her smile as she watched the happy scene unfold.

 **-2 days later-**

Michiko was in the kitchen helping Kushina prepare dinner. They were having a guest over tonight. When she asked who it was, the answer was only half surprising.

"Jiraiya-sensei returned to the village today, so Minato invited him over for dinner," Kushina told her, eyeing the pan and its contents.

Now, Michiko wasn't surprised that Jiraiya was coming, after all, he was Minato's old teacher, she knew that. But the part of her that was surprised was born out of admiration —and slight fangirlism.

For his heroic deeds during war time, or his strength? No. Michiko didn't really know what he did throughout his ninja career other than being epic. While her previous knowledge of the man consisted of knowing that he was a Sannin that was taught by the previous Hokage, a super pervert and the author of the 'Icha Icha' series.

What she didn't know —or remember— was that he wrote another book beforehand, which she found about a year ago while browsing for books to buy.

The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi had quickly become her favourite book. It wasn't a particularly popular book, but the book store still had a few copies from when they first ordered them, so they kept them on display in the hopes that they would eventually be bought off.

Thus, upon hearing that the author of said book was going to be in the same house as her, Michiko dropped the knife she was using to chop up the vegetables and demanded to know if Kushina was speaking the truth.

Slightly startled by her reaction the older Uzumaki nodded and continued to watch as Michiko let out a squeal of excitement, hopping around before composing herself. Though the sparkle in her eyes didn't go away.

"What's with that reaction?" Kushina asked, amused but mostly curious.

"He wrote my favourite book!" The younger female declared happily. Surprise crossed over Kushina's face at the news.

She knew of course about the book Jiraiya wrote, as both she and Minato had read it.

Allowing a giggle to escape her, Kushina smiled happily at Michiko's obvious glee, the two avidly chatting till the males returned home:

"Tadaima," Minato called out, followed by another voice:

"Kushina~," the owner of that voice quickly came in the dining room as the two were putting the finishing touches on the table. The white haired man gathered Kushina in his arms, asking her how she was feeling.

"I'm fine Jiraiya-sensei, how have you been?"

"Good, good, wri- well, who might you be?" he asked noticing Michiko standing behind Kushina. Not that Michiko ever got to answer, as Jiraiya whirled around to face Minato.

"How can you be so selfish?" he asked the blond, who, for his part, was very confused about this turn of events.

"Eh? Sensei what are you talking about?"

"What _am_ _I_ talking about? Why of course I am talking about you hogging all the pretty redheaded ladies to yourself," he said, putting on a rather convincing serious act. Too bad it didn't last, and everyone in the room burst out laughing.

Stepping forward, Michiko gave the man a short bow, introducing herself:

"Uzumaki Michiko, it is an honour to meet you Jiraiya-sama," she said respectfully.

Behind the toad-sage Minato gave Kushina a questioning look, to which she just smiled. Her eyes glinted mischievously, causing the young Hokage to wonder what she had done this time.

"Aha!" exclaimed Jiraiya, after he finished appraising the girl, "so, you have heard of the great Toad Sage," he said, striking a pose.

Looking up at the grinning man Michiko said: "Ah, no, I've never herd about that. As a matter of fact, it was only after mentioning your name before my family that I found out you were even a ninja," she said bluntly, Kushina trying her best to stifle her laughter as Jiraiya's face fell.

"Is that-is that so?" he asked, depressed and having lost all his enthusiasm. Jiraiya really thought that he could impress this young girl. 'Tsk, the new generation, no respect for their elders,' he thought.

"Ano, Jiraiya-sama," Michiko said. He glanced down at the girl, showing that she had his attention. Watching curiously as she pulled out a book from behind her back and presented it to him:

"Would you please sign my copy?" she asked, looking down in an attempt to hide her blush.

'Damn it Michiko, get a hang of yourself, this is a rare chance,' she scolded herself mentally. Missing the flash of understanding that passed across Minato and Jiraiya's expressions, or the way their eyes softened while looking at her.

"Mah, this book has not sold very well," the sage said, taking the book from her hands. Upon closer examination, the book looked to be kept in good condition. It did not hold the pristine quality of a new book, but it did possess the appearance of a well-worn and loved one. It made Jiraiya happy to see this and swiftly signed the book, giving it back to Michiko and watching the way her eyes lit up.

"Thank you so much, Jiraiya-sama," she squealed, hugging the Sannin in her glee, much to the man's surprise, although eliciting laughter from everyone present all the same.

"Alright, alright, I know I'm amazing—but I am also starving! Now the food is getting cold, so lets eat!" Throughout the meal, Minato and Michiko entered a debate about their favourite book —much to Jiraiya's delight and embarrassment— talking about their favourite bits and the main hero.

Conversation strayed from topic to topic, keeping the atmosphere light-hearted, and the four of them entertained.

At the end of the meal, Jiraiya and Michiko cleaned up the plates, while Minato helped Kushina wash them. Once done, they settled at the table once again and Jiraiya tried to coax the name of the child from the soon to be parents. Michiko tried as well, with no luck, Kushina said that they had decided on names for both genders but refused to divulge them yet.

"Actually Jiraiya-sensei," Minato started, "there is a name that we liked a lot… Naruto," both Jiraiya and Michiko drew in a sharp breath at the confession, Jiraiya because that was the name of his main character, and Michiko because she felt like with the admission of the child's name, a sense of finality settled over them all.

If there was even the smallest hint that this was not the world which inspired the manga she read so long ago, it disappeared completely at that moment.

Jiraiya joked that naming their child after his character would be the same as making him the child's godfather and asked them if they were sure about this. The two, on the other hand, took it very seriously and Minato told him that he didn't know a better ninja that he could trust with that title.

Needles to say, Jiraiya was touched by their gesture and accepted, prompting them all to celebrate. Minato sent a clone to go fetch some desert, and it returned with an assortment. You would think that Michiko and Kushina would faint from sugar overdose with how they barely took a break before reaching for another sweet confection.

While eating, the conversation turned back to the book and Michiko asked what prompted Jiraiya to write it. The man eventually admitted, with a nostalgic look, that he wished to see world wide peace achieved.

"What do you think about this dream, Michiko-chan?" he asked her, causing the girl to pause while eating her daifuku, a contemplative look on her face.

It caused them to all look at her, sensing that she was taking this question seriously. And, for a moment, they witnessed Michiko's eyes change.

Such cold eyes.

It brought a chill to them all.

Those were not eyes that belonged to a child, especially one that was so happy and exuberant all the time.

"I don't believe it's possible," Michiko admitted, voice steady and words final.

"One would first of all need to ask the question: what is peace? No more conflicts? No, I don't believe that is possible. Not because humans are incapable of getting along with each other, but because we need conflict just as much as peace."

Her words were answered with silence and a thick layer of confusion.

"What do you mean by that, Michiko-chan? War is not a good thing." Minato said, a frown marring his features as he though about her words.

"Please don't patronise me," the redhead replied tartly, "I am aware of what war is, even if I did not spend time in it directly. I'm not saying they are pleasant. _War is not meant to be pleasant_. Not to mention that they are not the only form of discord that exists in the world. Eliminate wars, for example, and people would still say peace does not exist," Michiko continued.

"There would still be disagreements. Arguments. Conflict. The middle road is the hardest road to take…Anyway, not everything in life can be shared, and even if we could it is part of human nature to want to be selfish. It's too easy for things to escalate," she said, taking another bite of her dango and trying to calm down.

"Kid…," Jiraiya started, unable to find the right words. 'Heh, guess appearances can be deceiving,' he mused, evaluating the child before him with new eyes.

"So what do you suggest people should do?" Jiraiya finally managed to ask.

"Live," was Michiko's simple answer, looking at the male as if it was obvious.

"Pardon?" Kushina asked in surprise, unable to help herself anymore. This was the first time she had seen Michiko so serious about anything.

"There is nothing else really," the child told them, shrugging to emphasise her point. "People tend to overthink things. There will be bad, maybe even horrible days, but if we keep living we'll get to see the good ones too." Michiko replied, fire mostly extinguished and a small smile blooming on her face.

"Live?" Jiraiya muttered, brows furrowed in thought.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavier than it had been at the beginning of the evening. Nonetheless, the adults found themselves seriously taking Michiko's words under consideration.

Kushina didn't know exactly what it was she was feeling at the moment. All she knew was that a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her little cousin was a bundle of surprises it seemed and placing a hand on her expanding bump, Kushina though that she wouldn't mind if her baby inherited some of Michiko's qualities.

"That's not a bad way to think about life at all," Kushina uttered softly, eyeing Minato and Jiraiya noting that the two didn't seem to know how they should feel.

Minato settled on ruffling Michiko's hair and laughed when the girl playfully swatted his hand away.

"You're pretty smart for your age," Jiraiya said kindly. Wondering what had shaped her opinion. "But I think we must all still continue to aim for what we believe in, right?" he carried on, smiling as he watched Michiko think about his question before nodding.

"Hey, that got me thinking, do you have any dreams?" Jiraiya asked, catching the attention of the other two adults, curiosity shining in their eyes.

"Yeah…More of a goal, I guess," Michiko said hesitantly, not meeting their eyes as she played with her dango stick, thoughts wandering.

"Eh, what is it? Come on, you have to tell us now dattebane," Kushina said excitedly.

Seeing their expectant looks, Michiko took a deep breath to calm herself, eyes suddenly gleaming with rock-solid determination.

"I want to rebuild Uzushiogakure."

 _That_ was not what they expected, Kushina especially felt herself freeze at the confession, mind not fully processing what was said. Opening her mouth to ask Michiko to repeat herself, thinking that she might have heard wrong, the older Uzumaki felt a shiver pass through her she meet Michiko's eyes.

'She's serious,' Kushina thought in surprise.


	13. That Night

Michiko left the following day, telling them that for now she had to return home.

Kushina was of course upset about this and, in the end, much like the first time they parted, Michiko promised to return,—within the first two weeks of September— if the two of them will have her over. Which of course was not even worth asking, Minato even promised to let the guards know of her arrival so that there won't be a repeat of what happened last time.

Nonetheless, Kushina squeezed the life out of her and Minato patted her head. Even Jiraiya came to bid her farewell! And Michiko couldn't wait to tell her family about everything she experience whilst in Konoha.

'I met Jiraiya-sama after all!'

Once she arrived in Yu no Kuni, it took the redhead less than two days to reach her house and jump greet her grandmother.

The old woman simply rolled her eyes at her granddaughter's behaviour, letting her know that Natsumi and Takeshi were out collecting another bounty.

Afterwards Michiko helped her grandmother in the garden and the two filled each other on what happened during the past week.

Ayaka was surprised to find out that she meet one of the three Sannin, but couldn't suppress her snort at hearing the way Michiko treated him.

The next day the couple also returned and Michiko was properly glomped by her father, while her mother went to make tea. Natsumi of course kicked Takeshi off their daughter when the man refused to let go in order to have her own turn.

—

Her folks weren't very happy when she told them about Kushina and how she promised to return in September and stay till she gave birth.

But they didn't argue with her and allowed Michiko to do as she pleased, so long as she took care.

"Not much point arguing with a stubborn mule. You got that from your father by the way," Natsumi casually stated and the three Uzumaki females enjoyed watching as Takeshi sputtered out denials.

They still didn't trust Konoha and were wary about Michiko spending so much time there, but seemed to relax somewhat when she told them about Minato being the current Hokage and that he would never allow anyone to harm or forcefully keep her there.

Even if he were tempted Kushina would pummel him to the ground.

—

 **-4 months later-**

Once again Michiko was making her way to Konoha as today was September 12th, the promised day. So to say.

The past few months, went by both quickly and slowly, an oxymoron if Michiko has ever heard one. But the truth nonetheless, as time seemed to pass by slowly as she trained with her family. However before she knew it September arrived and Michiko was panicking over the shortage of time.

During the past few weeks, Michiko trained like crazy using her chakra chains, lengthening them, thickening them and maintaining them for as long as possible.

When her parents asked what got her so hooked on them right now, Michiko lied and said that she wanted to become as good as Natsumi and Kushina. It was partially true, she did wish to one day become that proficient at using her chains, but the truth was that she wanted to be able to restrain Kurama, for as long as she possibly could.

Michiko had thought of various ways to try and save Kushina and Minato but the truth of the matter was that she did not posses enough information. She knew the main aspects, like who and why, but the details were absent.

And Kami did Michiko try to rummage through her mind for any bits of information about that night. But it was useless. As the years passed she remembered less and less about her old life and while it did not particularly bother her, it did prove to be a nuisance in moments such as these.

Michiko of course still had the scroll from all those years ago that she wrote in english, when she realised what world she found herself in, but that did not meant it was a holy grail of information pertaining future events.

Sighing, Michiko reminded herself that typically people don't get to know the future and that any information she did have, should be used to the best of her abilities, using the present to try and fill in the holes.

Of course on the flip side, incomplete or inaccurate information could be far more dangerous than no information at times.

'Gee, aren't I a happy cookie?'

Reaching the gate, the redhead waved at the guards,—different from the previous ones— and gave them her name. Unlike the first time she came, Michiko was left to her own devices after a routine check of her belongings.

Security at its finest.

This time she came to the village more prepared, with several, and she meant it, _several_ scrolls filled with equipment, various sets of cloths, quite a bit more money than she had with her the first time around and a couple books, for when Kushina was taking a nap of course.

Expanding her chakra sense, Michiko couldn't hold in a grimace when she was assaulted by hundreds of chakra signals, but she bit her inner cheek and focused, trying to find the right one. After all she needed to get used to working surrounded by people without feeling overwhelmed.

Michiko was only slightly surprised when she did not find the woman's chakra signal at her home,but at the marketplace instead. You know how the hole pregnant jinchūriki was meant to be a secret? Yeah, nobody seemed to have notified Kushina about that development.

So with her target's location found Michiko went on her merry way to intercept her. Taking to the rooftops and hoping from one place to the other, never letting go of Kushina's signal since she still didn't know her way around the village well enough to not get lost.

Michiko found Kushina browsing one of the stalls selling apples. 'She looks healthy,' was the first thing Michiko noted. The woman was obviously heavily pregnant and for a second she had to roll her eyes at the fact that she was not home resting.

Nevertheless when she paid for her apples and was about to gather her shopping bags, Michiko swooped in and took them from a startled Kushina. Winking for effect before she asked the older redhead how she was.

To say that Kushina's shout of happiness did not attract attention would be a blatant lie.

The next month was a blur. Not that time went by particularly fast. Real life, even in this crazy world, was not actually filled with time skips. Which Michiko was grateful for because she appreciated each moment spent with one of her precious people. Plus she didn't want to imagine being twelve one second and them 'wabam,' sixteen and super-powered the next. Like how the heck would she even know hoe to use those new and totally pulled out of her ass powers?

Instead,for the past month Michiko helped around the house so that Kushina could rest and as a result even learnt a bit, —stress on _a bit_ because she could still burn food on a stove better than if she used a katon jutsu on them— of cooking from the older female, though it was still a long way before Michiko will be able to proudly serve something that she cooked.

When Kushina was taking her naps the young Uzumaki entertained herself by reading one of the books she brought with her, practicing light katas in the couple's living room or meditating.

To this day Michiko still laughed when she remembered Minato's expression when he found her mediating in the standard lotus position…on their ceiling.

"Michiko-chan?" the blond asked hesitatingly, looking at the upside down girl.

"Yes Minato-nii?" she asked in reply.

The man seemed to be reevaluating the wiseness of asking, before he gave into his curiosity:

"Why the ceiling?"

"A change in perspective," was her simple reply. Accepting it as another part of Michiko's—'Nah, this has to be an Uzumaki thing,'— personality the blond simply made his way to the kitchen were he was sure to find some of Kushina's delicious cooking waiting for him in the fridge.

—

Throughout the month, Michiko also had the surprise of meeting two new —well technically she knew off them, heck, _she knew_ things about them that they didn't even know—people that up till that point she only knew of in a 2D format.

It happened during one of their walks back from the park—how the heck was this woman's pregnancy not well known?— Kushina ran into one of her friends and promptly introduced them:

"Mikoto! How have you been?" she asked the dark haired woman, before hugging the pretty lady and gently bending down to hug the little dark haired and equally pretty boy.

After exchanging pleasantries, and receiving a raised eyebrow curtesy of the dark eyed woman towards Michiko's direction, Kushina introduced Michiko to Mikoto and her son Itachi.

Mikoto, as previously mentioned was a very pretty woman, was soft spoken and had this shooting aura about her as opposed to Kushina whose presence alone made you want to get up and go _do_ something. Itachi, Michiko was able to notice, after mentally fangasming and gushing over his cuteness, was a very quiet child. That stood by his mother's side, with dark, inquisitive eyes, framed by the pretties eyelashes Michiko had _ever_ seen.

They eventually parted ways when Mikoto said that she had to return home to her other son, leaving the two Uzumaki females behind to return home as well.

The second incident was when Minato, somehow, persuaded his antisocial student to come have lunch with them, much to Kushina's surprise and delight.

Yup, that's right, Michiko also got to meet the infamous Hatake Kakashi, though she wasn't sure that his reputation was quite there yet.

Though other than a barely half-hearted introduction, Kakashi did not speak with her, causing it to be very awkward for her at the beginning. It didn't help the fact that he didn't even eat once the food was served, staring at it indecisively and causing Michiko's ire with the boy to continue rising.

Minato, bless his soul, attempted to diffuse the growing tension by making light hearted comments.

"Ah right, so as you could probably tell Kakashi-kun, Michiko-chan is Kushina's cousin-"

"I adopted her as a sister," said pregnant redhead interrupted.

Or "Oh, maybe you and Kakashi-kun could spar sometime, I'm sure you could both benefit from it"

Michiko didn't miss the look he kept giving her either.

Eventually, he must have reached some sort of decision because he took up his untouched chopstick and put food on his plate.

And then in a blink of an eye it was gone.

"How can you even taste the food when you eat it so quickly?" Michiko asked him, slightly horrified of his eating speed. The look he gave her in replay might have just been able to freeze water.

"There is no reason to bother with _tasting_ the food as long as it gets in your stomach so it can be processed to keep you alive and give you energy," he said and Michiko snapped.

He does _not_ get to treat the food, especially food Kushina slaved over —even more than usual because she knew he was coming— like that.

"Take off the mask."

"What?"

"Take. _Off_. That bloody mask. Get a piece of meat in your mouth, and chew it. Like a regular person, _or I'll make you, ttebane,_ " she threatened, red eyes narrowed in challenge.

"No." And with speed Michiko was sure to never be able to replicate ever again, she ripped off the mask enough to be able to shove some fish in his mouth while he was still surprised.

"Chew," she ordered, glaring at the shellshocked boy while the equally surprised adults stared open mouthed.

" _Slowly_. Yes, that's it…How does it _taste?_ Kushina cooked this fabulous lunch because she knew you were coming. So. You. _Will,_ respect her effort. Got it?"

And due to that encounter Kushina and Minato learnt something new about Michiko, and that was that she could be bloody terrifying.

Kushina had never felt so proud in her entire life.

'Yup,an Uzumaki thing, or a female thing, or a female Uzumaki thing,' he though, feeling somewhat sorry for his student who found himself on the receiving end of an angry Uzumaki girl.

Surprisingly while Minato left after eating, Kakashi stayed behind and helped Michiko wash the dishes.

At Kushina's insistence he even stayed the rest of the day, since the woman wanted to catch up with him. Kakashi was a bit slow opening up, but Michiko also though it might have to do with her being in the house as well, so she got out a book to read while the two talked.

—

Meanwhile Minato was having a good laugh with Kakashi's ANBU supervisor after retelling the incident in detail and describing Kakashi's reaction.

"Seriously I never saw Kakashi-kun look so shocked in his life," the blonde laughed, while the surprised ANBU simply raised and eyebrow behind his mask.

"Well, he is your student Minato-sama. I am sure that you can advise him on how to deal with Uzumaki females," the man said, a grin heard in his tone.

At that the blonde Hokage levelled the man with an intense stare:

"Michiko might just rip him apart first."

—

But those times passed by and before Michiko even knew it she woke up on October 10 to a ridiculously exited Minato and Kushina.

When the two told them that today was her due date, Michiko instantly entered panic mode, running around asking if Kushina needed anything, or if she wanted her to prepare her something to eat. Never mind that she was in her pyjamas with a serious case of bed hair and looked utterly ridiculous, it was a mask she put on to hide her terror since today could very well their death day.

After calming down from their round of laughter the two adults tried to get Michiko to calm down as well but to no avail.

Michiko did manage to look more in control by 5 o'clock when they both had to go. When she asked if she could come with them they both apologised and said that it was impossible. She didn't fight them —too much— on the issue. It might have been all for the better, after all, when Obito made his appearance she might just get in the way or be killed. Unlike in the anime, Michiko did not for a single second believe that she had main character immunity when it came to death.

And really if she died how was she meant to help her precious people. Because there was no denying that Minato and Kushina were now in that category. They were her family and the Kami be damned.

If they won't help her Michiko will help herself.

So as she watched them leave the house, escorted by a couple of 'concealed' ANBUs and Lady Biwako, Michiko attempted to calm herself down.

It won't do to not have a clear head when shit hits the fan. 'In more ways than one,' she thought grimly when she remembered that the Uchiha clan problem will take centre stage following tonight's events.

—

After two hours of attempted reading Michiko threw the book to the wall in frustration. She hated waiting, not because she was an impatient person, but because she felt so utterly useless right now and reading was _not_ helping.

So after collecting all her scrolls and making sure that she had all her things, —she didn't bother with the clothes that were not still sealed— Michiko made her way through the village.

Throughout the past month she became able to navigate the village, _almost_ as well as anyone else much to her own happiness.

As she hopped from rooftop to rooftop, she kept her sensory abilities on high alert, prepared to catch even the faintest flicker of Kurama's chakra. —Not that one _needed_ to be a sensor to sense _his_ chakra, as Michiko will come to learn later that very same night—She never felt it before of course, but she didn't think that she would be able to miss it.

This is how she stumbled upon Kakashi and green spandex clad boy, who she was willing to bet an arm was Maito Guy. Deciding to be polite and greet Kakashi she was pleasantly surprised when the grey, gravity defying boy acknowledged her. Even bothering to introduced her to Guy after the boy pointed out he never saw her before.

"Pleasure to meet you! I am Maito Guy, Kakashi's eternal rival and Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey," he said, striking a pose, flashing white teeth and all.

Michiko was about to say something in reply just as a wave of _hot, hot_ , chakra washed over her causing her to freeze at the same moment Kakashi asked if they could sense something weird.

'It began,' she though, eyes widening drastically and legs shaking. No, her entire body was shaking.

"Michiko-san?" Guy said, seeing the female's state. Kakashi frowned and was about to ask what happened when her whisper interrupted:

"Evacuate everyone…"

"What did you say?" Guy asked loudly, but Kakashi heard and felt his insides freeze as well.

"Evacuate everyone!" she shouted loud enough for the people on the street to hear her.

"Wha-" but Guy never finished that sentence, because at that very moment an enormous cloud of smoke appeared further inside the village.

Everyone collectively drew in a breath, and for one, painfully long second, Michiko was sure that nobody breathed.

And then it started.

Kurama gave a mighty roar, the shockwaves from that alone flinging the people in its path.

It was chaos.

Everyone was running, civilians were trying to get to safety, the shinobi were confused but tried to battle the nine tails.

It was madness.

She had to do something, wasn't this what she prepared herself for all this time? As Michiko tried to force her legs to move, Guy was saying something about fighting the Kyūbi before another ninja arrived and told them to gather at the guardroom immediately, Sandaime's orders.

Michiko was still frozen in shock when Kakashi told her to come as well.

"No," she bit out. The ninja who told them to retreat ordering her to go as well, drawing the attention of some of the other present ninja.

"No! I need to go and try to restrain the Kyūbi! Kushina-nee…" but her voice died out and the shock of what she said prevented anyone from doing anything for a couple seconds.

Cursing her cowardice at this crucial moment, she forced herself to focus.

"Evacuate as many people as you can. It is useless trying to fight it now. Concentrate on saving lives. I'll do my best to buy everyone time to do this," she ordered, though she had no right to.

Not that it didn't matter at the moment.

Michiko speed ahed, ignoring everyone else and focusing sorely on Kurama, who was waging destruction upon the village, dead bodies became more and more common the closer she got.

The fox killing everyone that got near it.

Michiko stopped when she sensed even more chakra being gathered and looking up she was barely able to stop herself from screaming.

'He's creating a bijūdama,' she though hysterically, looking on in horror she saw it launched towards the hokage monument, but instead of obliterating the mountain it…stopped.

She couldn't see in the dark properly, but it was being absorbed till it fully disappeared. 'Fūinjutsu?' she wondered, 'Minato-nii!' she suddenly realised. He was the only one who could have done that.

No time to waste Michiko gulped nervously before resuming her path towards the beast.

She reached the closest possible point that will ensure she does not get squashed in a second and it was there that Michiko noted a conglomerate of gathered ninja. And leading them was a man dressed in black holding a large staff.

"You can't be here!" came the shout from one of the ninja who spotted Michiko.

"Go to the designated area and leave this fight for us and the Lord Third," someone else ordered. 'Lord Third?' and sure enough the man with the staff was non other than Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Completely ignoring the panicked ninjas Michiko made her way to Sarutobi, attracting even more attention towards herself in the process.

"Sandaime-sama," she said when she was close enough, gaining the man's attention.

—

This was a grim day for Sarutobi. His village was being destroyed by the Kyūbi and he had no idea what happened to Minato, Kushina or his wife, Biwako.

Then, just as he was preparing to launch a counter attack against the beast, a young girl appeared, when he ordered everyone from the younger generation to not come close.

He was about to snap at her, not having the time for this when he noticed that she didn't have their headband.

'Red hair…could this be, Kushina's cousin?' he wondered, having of course herd about the girl from Biwako, Jiraiya and Minato about this new Uzumaki.

Looking at her for the first time Hiruzen could see the grim determination in her eyes, even as her limbs were shaking in fright.

"You can't fight the Kyūbi, it is a being made out of pure chakra, our only chance is if can be resealed," she said, confirming his own belief, but not changing his mind. Uzumaki or not, he doubted such a young girl could prove able to seal this monster and they had to do something and save their village!

He was about to say so when she interrupted him:

"Concentrate your forces on saving as many people as you can. I, can't seal him myself. But I will try and restrain the beast as long as I can to buy your people time. However, someone _must_ seal it, it's the only way" she said in a rush, and Hiruzen had to struggle to not show his surprise.

'Restrain the Kyūbi, does she mean…?' but the beast in question released another roar, its shockwaves causing the girl, and many others to lose their balance.

But, in the chaos raging around them, Hiruzen was able to feel the girl gathering a tremendous amount of chakra before a dozen chakra chains appeared from her back. Many were unable to keep their gasps of surprise at bay but Hiruzen paid them no mind, not taking his eyes off the girl's chains for a single moment.

'Those are the same chains Kushina can produce!' he though in surprise.

They quickly launched themselves at the ground, only to reemerge underneath the fox. Immediately going to restrain its tails, limbs, torso neck and muzzle, wrapping around the great beast, restricting its movement.

However the moment her chains made contact with the fox the redhead released an anguished scream, falling to her knees and leaning all her weight on her arms.

Nonetheless her chains held true and they suddenly pulled the Kyūbi to the ground, and for one moment Hiruzen and all the shinobi present felt a flutter of hope.

"The Kyūbi is restrained!" someone in the vicinity shouted.

It done its job of snapping Hiruzen out of his shock. The girl said that she can only buy them some time, not that she can rid them of the beast, and he didn't know how long she could keep this up.

He needed to act now.

The Sandaime ordered everyone who did not have some fūinjutsu expertise to leave and help evacuate the remaining people trapped within the village. He also ordered Yamanaka Inoichi and assist him while telling a couple Iryō-nin to assist the girl.

Hiruzen organised his soldiers around the Kyūbi using Inoichi to communicate his plan with them.

If they could only hold it off till Minato came… they might be saved.

—

'It burned, it burned, it burned, _it burned,_ ' Kami, Kurama was strong, and angry, his hate was saturated into his chakra and she could _feel_ it.

She wasn't very aware of what was happening around her, all of Michiko's concentration, chakra and energy going into holding the Kyūbi in place.

'It hurt so bad.'

And with the giant shit struggling as it was… Michiko felt like she might faint at any moment. But she _needed_ to preserve some chakra in case the worst happened.

Michiko still wanted to be able to use her chakra transferring ability to heal Kushina and Minato as needed. Meaning that she couldn't hold off the fox indefinitely. Hell she couldn't have done that even if she didn't have to preserve chakra.

Kurama was far stronger than she imagined, Michiko knew that she didn't have the power to fight him or keep this up. She was still in shock that she hadn't passed out.

Michiko stiffened as she felt two foreign chakra sources enter her body.

"Hang in there girl. Just a bit longer and Sandaime-sama will be able to get a barrier around that monster," a male voice whispered in her ear.

'Allies,' she recognised. Managing to look up, Michiko saw two grim faced ninja on either side of her. Their hands going green as they transferred their chakra directly into her coils.

'Iryō-nin,' she thought tiredly, before the words spoken previously registered in her mind.

'A barrier seal! That might just work, and then, and then…Minato-nii…I must hold on till then,' she though.

However it was easier said than done.

Kurama's corrosive chakra was eating away at her chains, and when Michiko felt like she couldn't do it anymore, the image of her family, from a time long ago, appeared in her mind:

Kushina, exhausted after childbirth and a bijū extraction managed to restrain this beast. Minato, tired, chakra depleted and desperate giving his life for the village, for his son. The Kyūbi impaling them as they jumped to protect their son.

'No! No, no, no, _no_ , I won't let that happen. I can't,' Michiko thought desperately, bitting her tongue, ignoring the coppery taste of blood that filled her mouth and using the pain to knock some sense into herself.

She thickened her chains, pulling greedily on the chakra offered to her at the same time, and tightened them. The Kyūbi stopped struggling, its movements completely restrained.

It was in vain.

All at once the beast allowed its chakra to _exploded_ outwards, the shock and strength of it pushed everyone away and Michiko lost control of her chains, as she hit the ground hard.

The chains disintegrated and the Kyūbi was once again free…

'I failed,' was her last thought before darkness took over.

Michiko never got to see the great toad landing on the fox. Never saw Minato appearing like a God of war to their aid.

She didn't see or hear the exchange between past and present kage.

Michiko also didn't see the moment Minato's eyes landed on her prone body, held between two medical ninjas that were doing their best to heal her injuries with the little chakra they had left.

The young Uzumaki missed the flash of fear and anger reflected in the blond man's eyes.

And she certainly didn't see the very same man teleporting away along with the fox beast.

—

When Michiko came to, her immediate reaction was panic. She jumped up from her laying position, regretting it right away as white danced before her eyes.

Hands appeared to steady her, holding her by the shoulders.

When Michiko's vision cleared somewhat she was able to see the Sandaime and a bunch on shinobi around them.

But no Kyūbi in sight.

'No, _no_ , Kushina-nee, Minato-nii …oh Kami, Naruto-kun,' the disheveled redhead thought despairingly.

"K-ku-shina," she stammered, voice hoarse from screaming but good enough for the Sandaime to understand her words.

"I am going right now to their location. You stay here and rest. You've done more than enough for the village and its people, and for that, I am indebted to you," Hiruzen told her gently but Michiko wasn't listening.

All she could concentrate on was that she still had time. After all, she wrote down that Hiruzen found them while they were still alive, but the barrier kept him away.

'They are still alive.'

She still had time, she could save her family still.

Completely ignoring the warning she got and the attention she was gaining.

Michiko gathered what chakra she could and focused on locating their chakra. Not a hard task, 'follow the fox,' she though drily. Locking on to the malevolent chakra seeping out of the Kyūbi.

'Outside the village…south side,' she though.

"Let go of me, _let go of me!_ " Michiko growled out, detaching herself from the medics and falling forwards.

However before anything could be done about the desperate Uzumaki, Michiko bit her thumb and slapped her hand to the ground, watching as a black, sealing array formed.

Once the smoke from the summoning cleared a massive, russet coloured fox was revealed. His body was covered in scars, left ear missing and an eyepatch over his left eye, while his right, brown one was focused on Michiko.

Dendō.

He was her faster summon that had the body strength to also carry her. Dendō was also one of the stronger foxes from Shakudō-rin*. The only problem was that he was also one of the summons that just didn't like her.

"You dare summon me brat?" he roared.

In hindsight maybe summoning a fox after a giant one _just_ destroyed the village was not the best thing the ultra tense and ready to strike shinobi were a clue.

Even Hiruzen was taken by surprise and clenching his staff harder than was strictly necessary.

Not that Michiko cared about any of them right now. All she wanted to do was get to her family, save them and then move on from this ordeal.

So she discarding her pride completely, right in front of dozen of fighters. Michiko begged the fox for help, desperation clear as day in her voice and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Please Dendō, _please_. I need you—Kushina-nee, Minato-nii, _please_ …," her voice was breaking off, as sobs racked through her body.

'It wasn't fair, It wasn't fair,' Kushina and Minato were the best people she knew and they were on their death beds and she wasn't _strong_ enough to save them.

What the hell had she been doing the past years, what good was information if she couldn't use it to save her loved ones?

"Please help me save my family…" Michiko said, looking the fox right in the eye, pleading mentally for him to not turn her down.

—

Hiruzen and the others present were baffled at this turn of events and didn't know what to do.

Here she was, a girl who tried to save them all, holding down the Kyūbi when they couldn't even scratch it, giving them time to evacuate every one that was still alive, breaking down in front of them.

Pleading with another _fox_ to help save their Kage and Lady Kushina.

Her family.

And they didn't know what to do.

Hiruzen personally felt his heart being painfully squeezed at the sight of the broken girl, desperation and determination shining in her eyes.

'Such remarkable will,' he though in slight awe

But there was no time for this. The girl was too injured and barely had any chakra left to be of further use and right now time was of the essence.

'I promise, I will save them,' Hiruzen vowed. Looking at the girl who was still pleading with the fox.

Hiruzen was ready to order his team to go fetch the aforementioned people, when surprisingly the russet fox lowered his body in front of the girl.

"Get on kit… hurry up," he bit out, and excluding the second it for the words to register in the redhead's mind, she did not waste any time complying with the order.

Dendō asked for the direction they were meant to go and then took off at high speed, electricity cracking in his wake.

—

Dendō did not hate his summoner despite what everyone thought.

He just found her infuriatingly happy and bubbly.

'Naive,' he though, listening to the fox kit Tsubaki talking about his most recent summon.

A mere child, not made for the harsh reality of this world in his opinion. Not because she lacked talent, but because he believed she was too emotionally weak.

'Careless and stupid,' he though after elder Ryoshi and the twins returned. They told them about the most recent situation their summoner got herself into and Dendō couldn't help his derisive snort.

He fully believed that if something truly horrible happened the girl will crack. He had seen those of the same personality as her succumbed to the pain over, and over again.

Because they only knew how to be happy.

It wasn't their fault.

They just weren't made for such a harsh world.

So Dendō refused to grow to close to this summoner. He didn't need that attention for when she will inevitably die.

The world was harsh.

And he was ready to be a complete bastard, as Mitsuki took to calling him, and ignore the tell-tale pull of the summoning jutsu. However when Dendō materialised in her world, ready to give Michiko a piece of his mind, he felt it.

That malicious, oppressive chakra that caused his blood to freeze in his veins and all his muscles to tense.

'What did the girl get herself in,' he wondered, when the smell of death assaulted his nose.

And not just death, fear, desperation, rage… they were all there. All present within the smell of fire.

Then his summoner _begged_ him.

Begged and sobbed for him to help her. Not to flee, —though he would have done so— but to help her reach her _family_.

Dendō briefly wondered how the heck they all got themselves in this mess but then she said some names that he didn't know and he realised she was talking about other people, not her parents and grandmother.

A part of him wanted to shout 'heh,see' at her tear stained appearance but the burning determination he saw in her eyes got him to change his mind.

So he lowered himself to the ground, cruising her the entire time because 'How the hell does one keep getting themselves stuck in so many death traps.'

He bit back a growl when he noticed how weakened she already was, barely dragging herself to him. Once on and with a destination established, Dendō couldn't help wishing that the brat wasn't so damn stubborn.

He pushed himself for all he was worth in the direction of that massive chakra, thinking that 'of course they had to be near that monster.'

Dendō promised to make sure the little brat survived. Not just because he will never hear the end of it from the skulk who were overjoyed to have a summoner again, —plus the fact that she just had to love them and be kind, and make them love her even more— but because he refused to betray the trust she just placed in him.

After all, Michiko summoned _him_ , in her moment of need.

—

In a clearing, outside the village walls,three figures materialised. The Kyūbi not far behind after being teleported away from the village by Minato.

"Minato…" Kushina got out, just as the Kyūbi spotted them and was making his way over.

"I'll stop him… one way or another. There are things… I must protect… precious things. And as long as I have that, I swear… I'll never give up." Minato said, getting ready to defend his small family.

"Wait…" she murmured, causing him to turn around and watch the mother of his son.

"I can still… do it" she said as she unleashed several chakra chains that bound the Kyūbi, creating a barrier around the area. The effort it took to do this caused the already exhausted woman to collapse.

"Kushina!" he shouted going to her side.

"I'll take… the nine tails with me… to my death… so that the interval till he emerges again is delayed. It's all I can manage now with my remaining chakra… to help… you two," she said as she struggled to get air in her lungs.

"Thank you…for everything…up till now," she said, finally able to give Minato a smile.

"Kushina…you're the one…who made me the Yondaime Hokage… who made me a man…," Minato got out, hugging the woman who he loved for all these years.

"And who made me this child's father…! And yet, I'm useless…" he sobbed.

"Minato…don't look so sad…I…I'm happy…that I'm loved by you. Plus… today is this child's birthday. And most of all…if I were to imagine me alive…and our future together as a family of three… I can't see us as anything but happy."

"But…if I were allowed…just one regret…I wish I could have seen Naruto…grow up…," she confessed, both of them crying. The reality of their situation crashing into them. However, as Minato got up, rubbing his eyes a new determination entered him.

"Kushina there is no need for you to die to kill the Kyūbi. Preserve what little of your chakra you have left for your reunion with Naruto."

"Huh…?"

"I'm going to seal the rest of your chakra inside Naruto. It'll be part of an Eight Signed Sealing. And then, I will take the Kyūbi with me… with the sealing jutsu I can do… the Shiki Fūjin!" he said with his back turned towards Kushina as he faced the fox.

"But…that jutsu…it results in the caster's death!" Kushina exclaimed, frightened by the prospect and tightening her hold on Naruto.

"One more thing. I'm only going to seal half of the Nine Tails. Partially because it is physically impossible to seal away so much power…but also because it is not strategically wise."

"If the Kyūbi is lost along with you, then there won't be another jinchūriki until he reemerges, upsetting the balance. With the Shiki Fūjin seal I can at least seal away half of the Kyūbi forever!…And the other half…," he stopped, looking at his son in Kushina's arms, before turning around to face Kushina once again, looking her right in the eyes.

"…I'm going to seal inside Naruto using the Eight Signed Sealing," at this Kushina gasped horrified, and Minato went to kneel by her side again.

"I know what you are about to say. But remember what Jiraiya-sensei said about the calamity that is to befall the world?" he asked.

"There are two things I have become convinced of today. That masked mad who attacked you…he will bring catastrophe to the world! And this child…will stop him. He will open the future as a jinchūriki. I don't know how, but I am sure of it."

"But Minato…" she said as Minato once again got up and walked away… before doing the necessary hand signs, and activating the Shiki Fūjin.

—

Michiko was able to make out the blue outline of the barrier Kushina must have errected.

'The barrier? Shit! I need to hurry,' she thought.

"Brat, there is a-"

"I know!" she shouted, her hands already digging out the required scroll.

She had thankfully remembered this bit and while training with her chains the previous months, Michiko asked her grandmother if it was possible to create a barrier using them. Of course Ayaka told her that it was and then went ahed to demonstrated the skill.

Michiko then asked if there was anyway for someone to be able to enter from the outside. Ayaka was a bit confused when Michiko pushed the question, till eventually the older Uzumaki admitted that there was a seal which is strong enough to make an opening even in an Adamantine chain barrier, such as the one she just demonstrated.

Michiko begged her grandmother to teach her the seal and practiced it till she got it tricky bit with this seal was that one couldn't generate it instantly with chakra, it had to be created the old-fashioned way, while adding a constant flow of chakra in the ink as you wrote it.

Fortunately a pre-prepared one worked just fine, and Michiko had three from her time practicing, which Ayaka deemed perfect.

Already unfurling it by the time Dendō reached the barrier she saw Kushina and Minato, both facing the Kyūbi, though Minato looked ready to do something.

Screaming for all she was worth, Michiko slammed the seal to the barrier pushing chakra into it.

All the while thinking: 'I made it in time.'

—

Minato was getting ready to extract half of the Kyūbi and seal it within himself when a bellowing scream interrupted him and drew both his and Kushina's attention.

There, at the barrier, someone slammed a scroll to it that displace the chakra enough to create an entry point.

Kushina had to stifle a gasp at the feeling of having her barrier breached, but when she saw who it was…she didn't know whether or not she should weep in relief or anguish. Because atop a massive _fox_ , was non other than Michiko, looking absolutely exhausted, with blood mattered clothing and prominent red puffy eyes; as is she just finished crying.

"Kushina-nee! Minato-nii! Naruto-kun!" she shouted all their names, as Dendō came to a stop next to Kushina and her son.

Quickly dismounting she collapsed by the redhead's side, sensing just how dangerously low her chakra levels were.

'She's dying,' she thought in horror.

Not wasting a single second, Michiko bared her arm and thrust it in from of Kushina's mouth.

"Bite," she ordered. When the older woman made no motion to comply she said it again:

"Bite my damn arm this very second Kushina, _or I will make you_ ," she growled out.

Briefly they all were reminded of a very similar scene involving a grey haired boy a couple of weeks ago.

"Michiko…," the voice belonged to Minato who stopped his sealing to watch the display wide eyed.

'Why?' he wondered, thinking of the girl's strange request, Kyūbi momentarily forgotten.

But when Kushina said something about Michiko's reserves, the girl snapped and forced her wrist in Kushina's mouth, who automatically bit, feeling the intrusion. The moment that happened Michiko reached out to hold Kushina's chin in place, preventing her from opening her mouth again.

"Hey…!" Minato tried to say, only to be stopped by a deep, throaty, growl, courtesy of Dendō.

Said fox was glaring at the blond, 'That ungrateful mongrel!' he thought as the man made a pass to stop his —stupid— little summoner.

"She is healing the woman," he growled out, watching with grim satisfaction as comprehension filled Minato's gaze.

The blond looked towards the two redheads again, noting that indeed all of Kushina's injuries were glowing a faint blue colour, sealing the cuts, healing the bruises, and… tuning his attention to Kushina's chakra reserves Minato had to do a double take.

They were filling up!

Albeit slowly.

Kushina was already no longer in danger to dying from chakra exhaustion.

'She doesn't have to die…' Minato realised wide eyed and suddenly burst out crying again.

However for the second time today, they were tears of happiness and relief.

'Kushina can live, she doesn't have to die. Naruto…Naruto doesn't have to grow alone. This…this…' he thought

"It's a miracle," he murmured.

"KIT ENOUGH!" the fox's scream snapped him out of his mussing and panicked he saw as Michiko was pulled away from Kushina. 'Why?' he thought, mind processing the events too slowly for the answer to be avoids. Till it smacked him right in the face.

Michiko was breathing heavily, not moving from the ground and a quick look at her reserves showed that they were dangerously low and he let out a gasp of fright.

How could he be this stupid, he saw her earlier, passed out, near the Kyūbi's location. Minato remembered that for a moment he though her dead. 'Of course, she mustn't have had a lot of chakra to begin with.

"MICHIKO!" Kushina —Naruto still safely held in her arms— launched herself at Michiko.

"You-you… stupid idiot 'ttebane!" she shouted through her tears. Doing her best to hoist the girl up using one arm and propping Michiko against her chest, next to Naruto.

The young Uzumaki opened her eyes tiredly, only to be greeted by the tiny face of her nephew, his wails barely now registering in her brain.

"Ssh, ssh, little angel…everything will be alright…I promise ok?" she said, smiling gently at the newborn.

"Why-How?" Kushina tried, but seemed unable to settle on a question.

"Stupid…did you really think…that I would have allowed you to die?" she said tiredly, but absolutely refusing to yield to sleep.

"Naruto-kun needs…his parents, and I…I didn't want to lose any more family members. There are so many of them… that I never got to meet… but I meet you and Minato-nii and then the two of you have been so nice," Michiko said voice wavering a bit as she spoke.

"Michiko-chan…," Kushina said softly, burring her face in the girl's hair. 'This girl…she went through so much just to help me and Minato,' she thought, tightening her hold on Michiko.

Minato himself held similar thoughts, thinking that they were truly blessed when she appeared in their lives. 'Now…,' he thought, 'I don't have to worry about Naruto as much. Kushina will be there for him… and Michiko…,' he held no doubt that she will watch over them both. The girl reminded him of Kushina a bit and not just appearance wise.

'An Uzumaki thing for sure,' he though to himself, 'they have such unwavering convictions.'

A roar from the Kyūbi interrupted all of their thoughts however, as the fox tried to free himself. He managed to extract an arm and already it was coming towards them, claws ready to pierce through them.

"No…" Kushina murmured, as her anger took over and she summoned even more chains. She bound the Kyūbi further, barely allowing it room to twitch.

"You _will not_ touch my family," the redhead growled, levelling the fox with a glare to match its own.

Kushina was careful though, Michiko went through too much just to make sure she will live… she wasn't about to spit on the girl's gift.

Michiko breathed a sigh of relief, 'Kushina-nee is terrifying,' she thought, remembering how she could barely keep a hold of the beast. But here she was, after everything she suffered the woman was still able to hold down Kurama with far less effort then it took her…or so it looked.

"We need to proceed with the sealing," Minato's voice interjected, coming to kneel next to them and summoning a small sealing altar. It caused Michiko to have a sudden realisation.

"You can't!" she screamed with the little energy she had left. "There is no way…no way a baby can take that much chakra being shoved into them," she said, staring at the altar, 'eight corners, eight candles …so an Eight Signed Seal?' she wondered. It didn't make sense, Naruto was supposed to become a jinchūriki, _she knew that_ , but how in Holy Hell would Minato be able to seal that entire beast in this baby.

It wasn't physically possible, he would die. Even Kushina was in her teens when she had the bijū sealed within her.

'Damn it! Why didn't I think about this before. Stupid, stupid Michiko,' she thought to herself.

"How did…?" Minato asked, relaxing now that he understood what her concern was.

Questioning an Uzumaki that grew up practically _breathing in_ seals about how she realised the dangers of sealing such a beast was redundant.

"I'm only going to seal half of the Kyūbi inside of him using the Shiki Fūjin jutsu," he said, not realising the effect his words had on the man.

'Half? _Half_? How…how can that be? What about the other half, what happens to that?' her brain was going haywire, she didn't remember this, and even now with her knowledge of fūinjutsu she couldn't figure out what he was about to do.

Minato on the other hand found himself facing a conundrum.

He was prepared to seal half of the Kyūbi away forever and seal the other half in his son. But a thought crossed his mind and he suddenly couldn't get it out.

Minato wondered as he looked at Michiko and the more he thought about it, the more solid this new plan seemed. He was certain that Naruto is the Child of Prophecy that Master Jiraiya told him about, and as a result Minato was certain that his son will learn how to control the Kyūbi's power, eventually, and he will bring peace despite the impossibility of that idea.

Then there was Michiko, who was one day thrust into their lives, a memory from the previous war. A little girl who helped Kushina and his shinobi, one that he wasn't sure they would see again.

Yet, years later she came knocking at his office, grin in place and promise remembered. She stayed for a bit, and Minato could clearly recall how overjoyed Kushina was. he didn't spend as much time with the girl when they first meet as Kushina did. So while happy about her visit, Minato was more happy for Kushina than anything else.

If Minato were to be completely honest he started truly bonding with the young redhead over their mutual love for Jiraiya-sensei's book. It really didn't take long for Michiko to become a permanent fixture in their lives. And Minato could honestly say that he has gotten used to having the girl around, she added even more cheer to their house.

He thought that it was simple a coincidence that she encountered Kushina that day, but now…now it seemed that Minato could be certain of three things, not just two. The last being that there was something special about the girl who kept appearing right when they needed her.

Despite the odds of her having meet Kushina that first time being slim to none, she did. Instead of forgetting the promise she made to someone that she barely knew, Michiko remembered it. And now, when he thought that all was lost. That he has failed his precious people and condemned Naruto to a life of loneliness, Michiko once again comes bursting in and manages to save Kushina.

Yes, he was sure of it.

That, like Naruto, she will play an important role in what was to come. After all, Michiko had a dream that to sounded absolutely ludicrous Minato was sure she would achieve it.

He got the exact same feeling from Michiko as he got from Kushina: that anything way possible.

Minato made up his mind.

"While the other half I was planning on sealing away forever," he told Michiko, noticing that she too panicked to pick up on his use of past tense.

Kushina wasn't and she looked up sharply at Minato.

"But… I think that I might not need to do so anymore… I still need to seal half in Naruto Michiko-chan. The Shiki Fūjin is already activated so there is no going back for me," he said gently, heart clenching in his chest as both females sobbed at the news.

'I was too late,' Michiko though.

"So…with that in mind…I have two things to ask of you before I run out of chakra."

She couldn't think properly, too many things were happening at once too fast.

However Michiko _did_ understand two things.

This will be the last time she would see Minato, and these were his last requests to her.

Nodding through her tears, Michiko was grateful that Kushina was by her side.

The blond smiled gently at the girl, knowing that he was about to make some selfish requests; but… there was no backing down now.

"Firstly, can I ask you…too look after Kushina and Naruto? We…never got around to asking, but…we were hoping that you would be…his Godmother. Since…well, Jiraiya-sensei would be rather hopeless on his own," Minato said, trying to lighten the mood just a tiny bit with that last joke.

He hated himself for making them feel like this.

"Of co-course I will," Michiko agreed, chocking on her tears as Kushina held her tighter. The younger Uzumaki already promised herself that if the worst came to pass, she would not allow Naruto be alone. Even if she had to move to Konoha and her family would not talk with her, —though she doubted the later to have come to pass— Naruto was her family and you didn't abandon your family.

"Thank you…," he said, making eye contact with Kushina briefly and giving her a tired smile, "and, as for my final request…I would like to seal the other half of the Kyūbi within you."

All traces of humour gone from Minato's face, and Michiko briefly noted in the back of her mind that if Kushina tightened her grip on her further the older redhead was sure to break a rib.

"Minato!" Kushina exclaimed in shock. Even Dendō, —who they forgot about— felt his entire being go cold all at once, and he lost the strength from his limbs, collapsing.

While all this was occurring Michiko's brain finally gave up and went completely blank for a moment.

Then two moments passed and then three and both Kushina and Minato were growing weaker while Naruto was crying once again as they waited for her response.

So she gave it.

A slow nod.

All the confirmation Minato needed. Sparing a final moment to impart his last words to Minato and Kushina before he set to work.

He summoned a second, larger sealing altar, placing Naruto gently on the smaller one while guiding a still shell shocked Michiko to the other one.

As Kushina crying asking why their family had to be sacrificed for the bijū balance, for the country, and for the village Minato told her:

"To forsake one's country, and one's village…is the same as forsaking one's child. You whose birth nation is no more know that all too well. How harsh life if for those who do not have a land to call their home. Besides, our family…are ninja," he said and that was that.

Michiko's brain might still not be functioning all to correctly, but her hearing worked just fine, and those words will stay with her till her death bead.

When Minato got everything prepared, he went to Kushina one final time and told her to not blame herself. That she had to live no matter what and raise their son. That this was better for Naruto as well, after all:

"You are his mother…even if I were to live, I would lose out to you…since there are things in life only you can teach him."

He kissed Kushina one last time and as stifled her cries, watching Minato with a determined gaze as he went over to Michiko and Naruto.

He kissed Naruto's forehead, —feeling the tug of the seal weakening and knowing he was running out of time— before repeating the motion with Mirai. Meeting her teary red eyes with his own tired blue ones he thanked her softly for everything that she had done for his family:

"I'm glad I got to meet you Michiko-chan…and that you allowed me to experience how it feels being an older brother."

Making the right hand signs he placed a hand on each one of them, feeling as the Shiki Fūjin took effect and the Kyūbis chakra was being split and then channeled into each vessel.

'Be safe,' he thought before he allowing his own soul to be sucked in by the seal.

Kushina's chains finally disappeared, and along with them the barrier keeping everyone away.

Michiko was far too exhausted to keep fighting off the unconsciousness which beckoned her. Giving in to it and allowing oblivion to claim her.

—

 ***Red Copper Forest-the most unimaginative name ever I know, but hey, the slugs come from the damp bone forest, so it can't be worst name ever**

 **A/N: OMG, this was a monster to write. I don't think I have ever written a chapter this long before!**

 **What did you guys think? Did you see it coming? It's true that T-B-R had this as one oh their ideas ;), tell me is it as convoluted as you imagined it?**

 **What did you guys think about keeping Kushina alive? I read so many stories where only Minato lives and I have never stumbled upon one where Kushina survives, despite her being the more logical choice (I think, since she was dying due to chakra exhaustion an the intense shock her body went through after having Kurama extracted from her)**

 **Also the dialogue between Minato and Kushina is 90% from cannon. I thought it would give some good background information for why they did what they did for all of us that forgot, why Minato halved the Ky** **ū** **bi. That and it explains why there are two jinch** **ū** **rikis for the same bij** **ū** **so please don't kill me for this!**

 **Well think of this as an early New Years chapter in case I don't update on the night. My fingers hurt.**

 **new york devil: well too be honest I think that would make her a Mary-sue character so I will not do that XP and you are not an asshole, although I am not planning on making Michiko a dark character, I am actually trying to make her the happy one in my trio of Naruto OCs (I have 3 main ones, each going to have their own story and a dominant personality trait: the happy one-Michiko, the sarcastic one-Yukiko from my story White Lies which I am completely neglecting at the moment and a socially-stunned one from a story I haven't started writing for yet) So I'm sorry if this turn of evens disappoints you *bows head***

 **Jamie uzumaki:Thank you so much for those words and nah I am not abandoning it but after this week school starts along with exam season and I really need to pass soooooo... longer updates in the future, sorry guys!**


	14. Kurama

**A/N: Edited on the 18th of January 2016**

 **Beta: They spent so much time helping and I am so grateful. Give a round of applause to Prince Nemui**

* * *

When Michiko opened her eyes, it was not to the scene she expected.

Getting up, she analysed her surroundings. However, determining the size of the room seemed impossible without actively checking, that's just how dark it was.

She was debating the wisdom of moving, on one hand sitting here and doing nothing would get her nowhere, while on the other hand she was far too tired to fight if it came down to it.

It was the resounding growl which made that decision for Michiko.

Biting her lip the girl turned around, forcing her mind to ignore its natural urge which _demanded_ that she run.

Because behind her, was non other than the Kyūbi.

Snarling with a hate filled gaze and malice practically rolling off of him, Michiko thanked all her lucky stars that he was blessedly behind bars.

She didn't need to be told now that this was her subconsciousness and that the 'bars' or 'prison' was just the metaphysical representation of the seal. Though, for Kurama, it was very much a physical trap.

" **YOU WRETCHED HUMAN!** " came the fox's angry howl and she couldn't help but wince. He demanded to be released —though they both knew she wasn't going to do that— and all around did an incredible job at ranting.

Yet, Michiko couldn't bring herself to be angry with him. The events which took place before had left her physically and mentally exhausted.

Watching Kurama rage and seeing the hate in his eyes made her incredibly sad. Yes, this was the beast which brought death to so many. Yes, his very existence is what led to Minato's death and almost took Kushina's as well.

But who was to be blamed for all of this? Certainly not the fox before her —at least not really— what fault did Kurama have for being born in this world and being essentially immortal? It was Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo who created him, it was the centuries of human betrayal, over and over again, which caused him to resent her species so much. It was Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama who took advantage of him and brought him to Konoha.

No, Michiko couldn't bring herself to hate the fox.

Not to mention that she could barely muster up anger in the her condition, she was just that _tired_.

What she _did_ hold against the fox —and everyone else on this planet if she were being completely honest— was that even when out of Obito's control he sought the destruction of innocents.

She had to give him props, he was still going at it. 'Kurama must have a lot of pent up stress… and _pride_ ,' she noted, somewhat amusedly. But Michiko was also getting a headache, and she really didn't need that right now.

"I'm sorry," she said, voice barely above a whisper. Enough though to cause Kurama to stop mid-insult. His sensitive ears having picked up on the words. They shocked him for all of two seconds, before his anger returned tenfold.

" ** _You're sorry_** **,** " he growled mockingly, acid dripping from his words, but the look Michiko threw him was indeed full of sadness and sorrow.

It was also _tired_ , and while Kurama was still shaking in anger —not only from being sealed again, but for having been _ripped_ apart by the Yondaime— forced himself to try and assess his new jinchūriki.

' **Another Uzumaki** ,' he though, taking in the appearance, ' **and so is the other one**.' But he couldn't deny to have never seen such an expression on any of his previous jinchūriki.

Mito didn't care much about him and ignored his very presence, sealing him so tightly within her that he was unable to speak. Kushina was no better, and although she did not ignore his presence, the rare moments they would meet in her subconsciousness, she would just glare at him, typically trying to ignore him.

Yes, his previous jinchūriki hated him almost as much as he hated her, but after a while she resigned herself to her fate and tried to deny he existed.

Now he had _two_ new jinchūrikis at once, and although he couldn't interact with his other half, Kurama _could_ sense his Yang self sealed within the infant.

' **This jinchūriki…** ,' he though, ' **still young, a brat.** '

He remembered her vaguely from when he was destroying the village under _that_ man's control. She attempted to chain him and, was admittedly successful, although not for long. Remembering that he once again had fallen prey to that damn power, caused him to release another resounding growl.

However Michiko's next words caused Kurama to freeze:

"I'm so sorry Kurama…," it was said in the same soft tone as her previous apology, only this time, he only focused on one thing. ' **It can't be,** '

" **What did you say?** " he growled out, albeit not as loudly, body still trembling in fury.

Michiko looked confused for a moment, head tilted to a side, she tried to figure out what got him to react like that. And then, realisation smacked her in the face.

"Kurama," she said a bit more loudly.

"Kurama," she repeated again when the fox gave no reply, "that is your name…is it not?"

Said fox, on the other hand, couldn't wrap his mind around her knowledge, the humans having long since forgotten their names and it wasn't like he had told anyone —mortal— before. ' **So how…** '

During his shocked musings, Michiko carefully approached the cage. She was not stupid, Kurama was not her friend, and he was not an oversized plush toy. If given the chance, she knew that he would kill her if that would guarantee his release.

Slowly, she reached out and touched one of the golden bars holding him prisoner.

He watched her, still trying to contemplate this turn of events.

Less than a few hours sealed within her and she already surprised him. Kurama did not know how to react to that.

Eventually, he managed to calm himself enough, that he did not shout. He laid down, watching the redheaded girl before him. She tentatively approached his cage, and, like him, took a seat on the ground.

It was pointless, lowering himself to fight a mere human, a child to boot. ' **No, I'll be patient. I might detest it but I will deal with it. I am sure to figure out a way to escape. There's always the other brat and my Yang side to consider,** ' he mused over in his mind.

" **How do you know my name,** " he settled on asking, curious no mater what he wanted to believe.

"I'll tell you, but not n-" a growl interrupted her.

" **You dare think-** "

"Enough!" Michiko finally exploded, finally reaching her boiling point "Enough Kurama…please. I don't want to fight with you."

He couldn't understand this human, she was treating him with, _some,_ modicum of respect —though now the kind someone like hime truly deserved— and that was more than what he could say about his past jinchūriki. So Kurama settled with just glaring at the girl, anger still permeating the space they were in.

"I don't regret it you know…stopping you that is. No, helping more like it," she said, looking at her hands. He snorted, ' **She's no different from the rest of them.** '

"But I am sorry for how you have been treated up till now. I _know_ you are _not_ a mindless beast, you are aware, and have intelligence…though people don't seem to see it," she said softly.

" **Hmp, so you claim to be different from the rest, girl?** " he finally asked, growing in annoyance.

Was she _pitying_ him?

 _Him_?

Michiko finally looked up —or tried too— at Kurama and replied in an even tone.

"We are all different, no two humans are the same. However, we are also extremely similar in some ways. I don't claim to be any different… I'm just me. Michiko." Kurama frowned at her words, frustration rising as he felt like she was ridiculing him, talking in riddles.

"Kurama…I _don't_ even want to imagine how it feels to be sealed. I don't, when I-"

" ** _You_** **wouldn't know the first thing about it.** "

"You're right. _I don't_. All I can do is think about how lonely it must be for you…and your siblings," she had a vague feeling that she was playing with fire but couldn't help herself.

They are —hopefully— going to be bound together till she dies, since the other option includes Akatsuki members, and frankly? She didn't want to deal with that can of worms right now.

Kurama was once again surprised by the girl. She though about how he must have felt; though not entirely accurate, he felt furious most of the time. And if he ever felt particularly honest with himself Kurama might admit to feeling embarrassed about being shackled by some humans.

It was, nonetheless, too odd of a notion to consider right now. The other surprise was that Michiko alluded the other bijū were his siblings. Again, not an entirely inaccurate statement, they were all created by the old man, but no human had ever made that assessment before. ' **Strange, strange, human.** '

Michiko was still talking, while Kurama was lost in his thoughts, till something she said caught his attention once more.

" **What did you** ** _say_** **brat?** " He couldn't have possibly heard right.

"I…I want us to be friends…not now, of course," she added hastily, "but, in time…I hope to at least earn some of your trust, and vice-versa. I don't want us to be enemies, Kurama." Her tone was once again soft, not like before, when she sounded more confident in herself. And a distant part of Kurama's brain registered that when nervous, Michiko fiddled with her clothes.

Nonetheless, he couldn't concentrate on that. His mind was going into overdrive. ' **Friends, friends! This mortal thinks she can become my friend!** ' he wanted to just kill her and be done with it.

" ** _You, think_** **…that** ** _we_** **can become friends! Foolish wench,** " he bit out.

"I'm not stupid. It's not going to be easy reaching that point…however…," and at this, her whole demeanour shifted. She stood up straighter, looked Kurama in the eye, and with a far more confident voice than she genuinely felt said:

"I don't want to give up on you. You have been used, over and over again, and _I can't_ … _I can't_ hate you. I don't want you to have only bad memories because of us humans… and I know I can't change your past…" by the end her nerves took residence in her voice again as she blabbered, but never once did she break eye contact and her posture never lowered.

" **You… are an odd child…** ," Kurama finally admitted, stunned at her declaration and torn between anger at her impertinence and just a tiny bit of an unnamed emotion, but which stood out like a beacon amid his normal anger.

He regarded his new jinchūriki from a different angle again. He couldn't use Mito or Kushina as points of comparisons any more. No, those two would never even think, much less say what Michiko had just said.

It frustrated Kurama even more when he realised who she vaguely reminded him off, and it showed as he let out a frustrated snarl. ' **Asura, she reminds me of Asura,** ' he though. ' **The old man's stupid son,** ' though he admitted that both of the old man's sons were idiots.

Asura at least…treated them as equals.

Sighing, he suddenly felt…tired. His spirit certainly felt exhausted after the ordeal it went through, and this conversation did not go as expected either.

Yet…there was one thing Kurama decided, as he regarded the girl before him. ' **She knows things…things she should have no way of knowing,** ' he was sure of it and he vowed, that before he finds a way out of yet another seal, he would figure out her secret.

Michiko, much like the fox was also exhausted, only she managed a small smile.

Certainly Kurama does not like or trust her —although the feeling was kinda mutual right now— but he didn't say more on her declaration and she took that as a tiny victory.

'I can do this,' she thought, 'Minato believed in me.'

So she would make sure to live up to his expectations. 'No,' she thought suddenly, 'I will surpass them. For kā-chan, otō-chan, obā-chan, Kushina and Naruto…'

And with that last thought she felt something tugging at her subconscious and she barely had time to squeak out a "later" to Kurama, when she suddenly found herself feeling sore all over.


	15. The Aftermath

**Beta: The wonderful Prince Nemui**

* * *

 **-The Morning After The Kyūbi Attack-**

Uchiha Mikoto did not lose her composure, _ever_. She was an Uchiha so she was always graceful and dignified, even when battling enemy shinobi. Last night when the Kyūbi struck, her and Fugaku responded immediately and helped evacuate people from the affected areas.

However, when it became clear that the beast would not be stopped easily, Mikoto ran to get their sons. Finding Itachi carrying his brother away from the compound was a true relief for the woman. Nevertheless, she didn't have time to waste. Plucking Sasuke from Itachi's arms the three made their way to the evacuation point, her eldest saving them from the falling debris along the way.

When that nightmare of a night ended and the Kyūbi's chakra could no longer be felt in the village, Mikoto ordered Itachi to stay with Sasuke as she went to check out the situation, asking one of the older clan members she'd found inside the shelter to keep an eye on them.

To say that the village was in shambles would be an understatement. A good part of it was gone, especially around the area in which the beast had appeared.

But she ignored the destruction, there was something more important. Knowing that the Kyūbi's jinchūriki was Kushina, she tried her best to locate her friend and find out if she was fine.

It was a wonder that the hospital was not destroyed, —or at least not completely— missing only a good chunk of its north wing. She didn't bother asking any of the staff if Kushina was there, since they were all too preoccupied with the wounded that kept pouring in. It was madness, but she had seen worse during the war.

Plus the ANBU guarding the door were a dead giveaway. A quick scan with her chakra confirmed her suspicion.

She night not be a sensory type, but Mikoto knew the redhead's chakra well enough to be able to sense it at this distance. Of course the ANBU did not prove easy to bypass and she probably would have had to leave if it wasn't for the door to said room opening.

'She looks horrible,' was her first thought upon seeing Kushina. The redhead didn't say anything but opened the door wider so she could enter, telling her guards that it was fine.

Inside, Mikoto was taken aback to see Kushina's cousin, the one she had been introduced to weeks ago, in one of the hospital beds, fast asleep.

Looking at her friend, she asked her how she was, and stifled her gasp when the woman broke down crying. 'This is wrong,' she thought, 'I've never seen her cry before.'

But, despite not knowing exactly what to do, Mikoto hugged her friend and listened to her retelling of the events from last night.

She couldn't blame her for crying, she wanted to cry too.

 **-The following day-**

A memorial was held for those who had passed away. The Sandaime held a beautiful speech, people cried, and offered condolences for the friends and relatives of the deceased.

That day nobody was anyone special, nobody was above anyone: everybody was the same. They stuck together, held each other, offered help to those who needed it and overall showed a united front as a village.

Kushina had several people come up to her offering their condolences, thanking them for the sacrifices she and Minato had made, expressing their relief at her being alive and even congratulating her on becoming a mother.

She was sick of it.

All she wanted to do was curl up in her hospital bed and cry. While simultaneously thank Kami for allowing her to stay by her sons's side, Naruto being the only bright spot in all of this mess.

Throughout all of this Mikoto stayed by her friend's side, and at the end forced her to take a break after finding out that she didn't even leave the hospital room till now.

Michiko was still not waking up.

 **-2 days later-**

That morning a messenger came to Hiruzen, to tell him that there was a problem at the East gate. A group of three were causing a disturbance and threatening violence if they would not be allowed into the village. Frowning at the news, Hiruzen asked why they weren't apprehended but the chūnin looked uncomfortable and said that he should and come see in person.

Dismissing the ninja, Hiruzen rubbed his forehead tiredly. Everything was in shambles as it was and he had his hands full dealing with the damage inflicted by the Kyūbi, while trying to minimise the information leaked about this incident so as to avoid another country from seeing this as an opportunity to attack them while they were weakened…

And now he had to deal with petty disturbances? He sighed, cursing his age, the Kyūbi and finally the masked man Kushina told him was responsible for unsealing the Kyūbi. As well as the one who killed his wife, Biwako, he thought darkly. Yes, Hiruzen had his hands full and then some and whoever it was causing even more problems would be dealt with harshly.

They didn't need this right now. _He_ didn't need this right now.

Unfortunately things do not go always as planned, and the moment he reached the gate, Hiruzen felt all of his anger leave immediately, leaving him weary. And not for the first time wishing Minato was alive. 'Curse him for dying.'

There were indeed three people, three very angry, redheaded people and one of them having manifested chakra chains to deflect the ninja that tried to capture them. At least they weren't seriously trying to harm his men. Likely knowing that it was more likely to make things harder for them.

Sighing, he made his way there and loudly ordered for everyone to stop. At his appearance, the eldest of them all, a woman with fading red hair, narrowed his eyes at him. But he saw the glimmer of recognition in those eyes, and she told the other two to back down.

After telling the present shinobi to return to their posts, he asked the redheads to follow him to his office.

Once inside, the only male of the group exploded and demanded to know what happened with his daughter.

"They said the Kyūbi attacked Konoha! What is the meaning of this? Why didn't you take all the necessary precautions with your jinchūriki? Michiko…What happened to Michiko?!"

Hiruzen felt a headache brewing, he wasn't surprised that the news had reached so far, so quickly. Despite his efforts to prevent this. People whose homes were destroyed or who found the village unsafe to live in, had started leaving since the first day.

He only hoped that they heard the news because they were, for some reason, in Hi no Kuni…if it had already left the country…he didn't want to think about that now.

He had a hysterical father and two much more murderous females to deal with. Who were by far scarier than the loud male.

Hiruzen thanked his lucky stars for knowing exactly who they were talking about. He mentally snorted at that, everyone would probably know who they were talking about.

After all, he held a speech thanking the actions of all the shinobi which survived and helped that night, Uzumaki Michiko being a name he thanked at length, though the girl herself was in the hospital and couldn't hear, it gave the villagers something positive to think upon.

And really, he was thankful for the girl's actions. She had allowed so many lives to be saved by restraining the Kyūbi, and had even gone as far as saving Kushina.

It was likely why the messenger had come to fetch him.

So, after waiting for the man to calm down, he got up and activated the silencing seals put in place. Afterwards, he began explaining to the three the events of that night.

Hiruzen did not allow it to show on his face, but he pitied them. Seeing their expressions grow more horrified by the second as he told them how the Kyūbi appeared in the village and the destruction it caused. He stopped his retelling of the events when he reached Michiko's part in subduing the beast, as the elder woman suddenly lost her strength and collapsed on the younger man's shoulder.

They were all as pale as ghosts and the woman who Hiruzen believed to be the Michiko's mother was shaking badly, with tears falling down her cheeks, while the father was frozen solid, not a single muscle twitching. A complete change from how he was at the beginning of this meeting.

He continued describing the evens after the older woman shakily asked what happened next. He told them about the unsuccessful attempt at sealing the Kyūbi in a barrier, how Michiko fainted afterwards and how he took her to safety along with the others as they fled from the beast to avoid being killed.

How their Yondaime summoned the toad boss to immobilise the Kyūbi, only to then summon them both outside of the village walls. How when Michiko woke up she performed a summoning of her own and climbed on top of it, so that it may take her to Kushina and their Yondaime.

Hiruzen was honest when he told them that he purposefully didn't try and stop her from going:

"I do not have a good reason for why that is. Just…she was determined to go," which didn't help his case as he wasn't fluent in the details following that episode.

He told them of the barrier he encountered when he arrived there and how Michiko and the rest were already inside, along with the Kyūbi. He only witnessed the end, and could not discern everything that was being said inside.

Finally he told them that Minato, being unable to seal the whole beast inside of his son, sealed the other half within Michiko. 'I need a drink,' the old man thought in the silence which followed his last words, everyone being too stunned to react…before the switched flipped and they were angry again.

It took a good hour of screaming before he personally escorted them to the hospital, so that he may check in on Kushina and the two new jinchūrikis as well.

—.—.—.—

'This is all my fault. _Mine_. I should have been there, I should have protected her…' Takeshi kept thinking after leaving the Hokage's office. He couldn't comprehend how all of this happened, but looking at the destroyed village he couldn't deny it and pretend it was all a nightmare.

He wasn't a stupid man, he knew the Sandaime didn't lie, but oh… how he wished he did.

His daughter was in the hospital, in a coma and the medics didn't know why. 'All because she fought the Kyūbi,' he thought in despair.

He wanted to scream, to turn back time and forbid his daughter from ever going to the leaf but…she would have resented him in the end, and that was just as bad. 'Though she wouldn't have gone through all of this…'

Takeshi knew he wasn't thinking clearly, but how could he? He promised to protect his family no matter what.

They had gone through enough after Uzushio was destroyed. It was hard afterwards, they were scared and constantly moving from place to place. _So he promised_ to take care of them no matter what.

But then Natsumi got pregnant and despite everything, they were happy. _So_ happy. They got a house, protected it with as many traps and seals as they were capable of and when Michiko was born, and he swore he had never seen his mother in law cry like that before. She was so happy. They all were. So they vowed that this child would not know the same kind of pain and sorrow they had gone through.

That's why they were so restrictive with her movements when she was young, especially since the great war was in full swing. They didn't want anything to happen to their happiness.

However it was not meant to be, he should have known. She grew with the passage of time, advancing through her training amazingly.

For all who watched —ie, only them— it seemed that she was a rising prodigy. Mature beyond what she should have been, but never once had she stopped being their happy princess.

'She couldn't take it,' they thought.

The problem wasn't the training, nor that there weren't others her age for her to talk or play with.

No, Michiko never complained about that.

The problem was that she was so _nice_. Too nice, and they knew all to well how horrible the world could be for nice people.

Yet she wanted to see other places, explore the country…the world! She wanted to learn more than they could offer her at their little house in the woods. She didn't want to stay in the protective bubble they created.

They knew time was running out. They couldn't force her to stay at the house forever, she was a free spirit, much like him, so he couldn't blame her for growing restless.

But then, she wanted to see Uzushiogakure and she begged and begged, till finally they packed and he went with her, leaving Ayaka and Natsumi home.

Takeshi never thought that he would ever really step foot there again. It was too painful.

But he did it. For Michiko's sake, and he would never regret it. If only because the wonder in her eyes as she took in every sight, more than made up for it.

They stayed a couple of days after it was pointed out that maybe, just possibly, they could still find bits of their heritage that had survived.

He doubted it, but did it nonetheless.

Then she came with a most unusual request by the end of the first day:

"Can we burn the remains of the dead? They deserve better than to be laying like this." and the look in her eyes at that moment was so solemn, so old that he forgot he was talking with his eight year old daughter.

A little after they returned, their home was attacked, and another fragment of their little world got destroyed that day.

Kumo-nins, he remembered. Natsumi told Michiko to stay inside, but when Ayaka came out to help him and Natsumi, Michiko jumped in the fight as well.

He saw the exact moment she stepped outside but he couldn't do anything about it. When all was done and the ninja were dead he rushed to her side, screaming along with her mother.

He was so scared that he was going to lose her that day.

But she didn't look at anyone, didn't really hear what they were saying and he thought that this was it. It finally became too much.

It was too much, too soon for his daughter who they all tried so hard to keep away from the ugliness of this world.

However once again, Michiko defied their expectations. Instead of being scared she was angry. Angry enough that she declared that she wanted to rebuild Uzushiogakure. It was insane of course…but the look in her eyes…

Of course they didn't really expect her to do it. She was angry and said it in the moment but when years later she did not change her mind, he just thought that if anyone was going to do it…it would be his daughter.

Over the years they started allowing her to leave the house. Initially she had to stay in Yu no Kuni, but eventually she had her way and was allowed to leave the country, as long as she returned within a given time.

Then the Kusa incident happened. And he was so furious with Michiko when she told them that she deliberately went into the country, knowing full well that it was a war zone.

During the weeks that she was away they were so extremely worried. And he felt so useless, seeing his wife and mother-in-law like that. But he didn't know where to start looking.

It was in that incident that Michiko met Uzumaki Kushina.

Oh, she never stopped talking about the woman. Michiko was so happy to learn that there were still members of their family to be found alive through the world. And really… they were happy too.

But then Ayaka told them why the girl was taken to Konoha in the first place…all he could think was: 'How does she keep getting herself in these situations,' but she did, and two years later she told them that she was going to Konoha to see Kushina as per her promise to the woman.

They didn't like her going into a hidden village, especially Konoha, they were all the same anyway. The moment they found out that she was an Uzumaki…they would prevent her from leaving.

However Michiko reminded them once again why they could never win in an argument against her —the child had an answer for everything!— and off to Konoha she went.

When she came home and told them about Kushina being pregnant and everything that had happened while she stayed there… _they knew._

She was going to return to be there for Kushina during the birth, even after Ayaka said how dangerous it was to have a pregnant jinchūriki.

Not that Michiko paid any attention to that talk. So they didn't argue when it was time for her to go again because she _promised that woman._

 _Because they knew they could no longer stop her from living her life._

'At the very least,' they told themselves, 'she always returns home.'

He really was proud of his daughter, they all where. She had a good heart. Valued family and friends, _and Kami, he couldn't be more_ _proud_.

But it was so frustrating because he knew that it would one day work against her. One day she will get hurt or betrayed, because she practically wore her hear on her sleeve _and he won't be able to protect her._

 _Still_ … she was just so _happy_. Michiko herself probably didn't realise it, but while she was talking about Konoha, about _everyone_ she meet, and _everything_ she did her face glowed. Her smile so wide and blinding that Takeshi had a sudden realisation then and there.

Michiko had a similar expression whenever she came home after visiting a village or going to the capital of Yu no Kuni.

And he felt the final pieces of their little world —the world they worked so hard to create around them— shatter.

Takeshi realised that his daughter, his baby, who never said anything about only knowing the three of them, who never complained about not having anyone to play with…was lonely.

She was so lonely that Michiko likely didn't even realise it herself.

'Was that why she was always so immersed in her studies and training?' he suddenly wondered.

Then September was over and, they knew that it didn't necessarily mean Kushina had given birth, and even if she had, Michiko would still say a while longer for the baby, so they weren't really worried.

He remembered actually being _happy_. His little Michiko was growing into herself and forging a place for herself in this world. It was a bitter kind of happy, he had to admit, because he wasn't sure what place he would have in her world when all is said and done.

But then _this_ happened.

He and Natsumi were in Hi no Kuni because they had to deliver some goods for a merchant. Easy and well paid.

When they reached the village, —which was close to the border of Yu no Kuni— they could tell something was off. In spite of that, they finished their mission and collected their money.

It was on the way back that he heard some villagers talking, it wasn't any of his business, but then he heard a fragment of their conversation:

"Have you heard?…yes, the Kyūbi…," and everything inside of him stopped working, Natsumi heard it too because she had much of the same reaction. 'No.' he thought, denying even the possibility.

They accosted the villagers, demanding to know what they were talking about, not caring about scaring them:

"K-Kono-ha…it was…attacked they say…last night…by the Kyūbi…"

His blood froze and his brain shut down. All he could think about was Michiko.

Natsumi was ready to tear apart both land and sea to get to Konoha and truthfully, so was he.

But then he remembered Ayaka was home, and he couldn't understand how he was even capable of thinking of anything else.

Truthfully it was probably because he didn't believe anything happened that he could go and tell Ayaka. Nothing really bad _ever_ happened to his daughter. He knew he was being a fool.

He somehow got Natsumi to return home as well. They speed through the forests, entering the house at the same time and almost falling in their haste. Startling the old woman, making her demanded to know what was wrong. Natsumi only got out the word Kyūbi before Ayaka jumped to action.

He swore he never saw Ayaka move so fast. In less than five minutes she was changed and their emergency scrolls stashed on her back.

Her expression was grave when she ordered them to get going. She was old, that's true, but if you thought in that moment something as plebeian as her age would slow her down from reaching her granddaughter, you were dead wrong.

This morning they had finally reached the gates of Konoha, and their nightmare finally became real. 'They are just rumours, it couldn't be true, everything was fine,' he couldn't think of a single lie to tell himself, —like he had done on the way— that would convince him that the destruction he saw was fake.

He was partially aware of some ninjas coming to ask them what their business was with Konoha, when boiling anger suddenly coursed through his veins and he could help himself. He snapped.

Takeshi shouted at the guards, told them to let them pass, threatened them… all the while thinking that because of Konoha he might have lost the most precious thing in his life.

Konoha didn't help Uzushiogakure when they needed it to.

Konoha was responsible for this destruction that Michiko found herself in.

But then the Hokage himself came and asked them to follow him. And _he knew,_ no matter how much he wanted to deny it… _he knew_.

The Hokage wouldn't have come to personally get a bunch of nobodies. And they were nobodies to this village…so that only left Michiko.

When the Sandaime retold the evens of October 10th and the role Michiko played in it … he wanted to cry. This was all his fault. If he had only taken better care of her. If only he had been there to protect her…

He prayed to every single Kami, even to some he knew were made up, that his daughter would recover.

He couldn't bear to lose her too.

—.—.—.—

Kushina did not get a good night's sleep ever since that night. How could she?

'This is my fault,' she thought. If only she was stronger… she knew that she would recover from this incident, eventually. Minato wouldn't have wanted her to be like this and Naruto needed her to be strong.

But she just couldn't do it while Michiko was like this. Lord Third had told her to take a break, that he would make sure that nothing would happen to Michiko, even Mikoto was of the same mind.

BUT SHE COULDN'T DO THAT! Couldn't they understand that?

Michiko rushed to their rescue, had done everything in her power to save them. It was because of Michiko that she was alive right now. The girl had given her almost all of the chakra she had, which wasn't much to begin with considering what she had done before reaching them.

Kushina broke down crying when she learned that Michiko was in the state that she was back then because she had used most of her power to hold the Kyūbi in place. Giving people more time to evacuate.

'She helped save our village,' she thought as she squeezed the girls hand. 'She looks better, at least,' Most of her wounds were healed. Even her chakra reserves were back to normal.

She just wouldn't wake up.

So Kushina spent most of the day in the hospital room, Naruto sleeping peacefully in the cot they had provided. Michiko didn't give up on her despite the state that she was in, despite the fact that Kushina herself was being stubborn that night. Having been…fully prepared to die.

Kami, what a fool she was.

All it took was for Naruto to grasp her finger in his tiny hand and she thanked all the existing Kami that she got to live. That she was allowed to spend more time with her child.

And it was all because of Michiko. Then it occurred to Kushina, that _if_ something _did_ happen to Michiko…she wouldn't even be able to tell her parents. And it would be all her fault that they lost their child.

'No. Nothing will happen to Michiko. She's fine now, she just needs to wake up…yeah, Michiko is strong…she will be fine.'

She just hoped that it would be true.

Little did she know that she needn't have worried about Michiko's parents, because a couple of hours later, the door to the hospital room opened and it wasn't the nurse.

The Sandaime came first and behind him, three frantic looking redheads followed, their eyes zeroing in on Michiko's still form in less than a second.

* * *

 **A/N: Takeshi's opinion of Michiko is a bit high but that is because she is his only child and literally the best thing that happened since marrying Natsumi**


	16. Awake

**Beta: Prince Nemui who deserves a bloody trophy for putting up with this story for so long**

* * *

When Michiko woke, it was to a splitting headache, a sore body, several pairs of worried eyes, hugs and a bonk on the head.

There was also a lot of crying and sniffling happening.

The poor girl was so confused in the beginning. Seeing her father's green eyes shocked her so much initially that she actually screamed. And then she saw her mother and grandmother, and she could only frown, trying to think of a good reason for why they were there.

And then Kushina threw herself at Michiko, crying and the events of last night came back to her and she started crying too. Only…her last night was everyone else's four nights ago.

Through the tears they filled her in on what had happened while she was unconscious and her mother, her calm, graceful, terrifying mother, threatened through her tears —angry, happy, both? It was anyone's guess really— that if she _ever_ scared them like that _ever_ again she would throttle her.

Michiko took those words very seriously.

Somehow, a group hug was initiated by her father, after they finished shouting at her and then her mother joined in, so her grandmother had to walk around the other side of the bed, where Kushina was. The final redhead was standing around awkwardly, till Ayaka barked at her to join in as well.

"I have been told by my granddaughter that hugs are therapeutic. So get in…you're family too," and that was that. It was a big, wet, warm mess.

It was beautiful, and Michiko started crying as well.

She didn't know what had happened between them while she was asleep, but this could only be a step in the right direction.

—.—.—.—

Kushina said that the Sandaime was likely already notified of her awakening, and that she was likely to receive a summons. When she asked why, Kushina looked nervous, before telling her that he would want to discuss her jinchūriki status.

Michiko couldn't help it, really, she couldn't, but she stiffened at the news and it did not go unnoticed by the people in the room. Kushina opened her mouth and Michiko could feel the apology before it was delivered.

"How many people know?" she asked, all traces of playfulness from before gone, her expression stern and her brain going into overtime.

This…was not what she had imagined. _Ever_.

Out of all the scenarios she had imagined, becoming a jinchūriki was not one of them. 'How the hell did Minato even split the fox in half?' She winched at the thought of his name, she was doing her best to not cry about him in front of Kushina, not when her loss was so much greater than hers. Especially since the redhead was clearly trying to be strong.

She would be strong for her too, and then when they both finally break down it would not be in a hospital room but somewhere familiar, and she would give her support to Kushina however she could.

"Not many people do…the jōnin, T&I and ANBU commanders. The two chūnins who saw…the sealing and everyone in this room. Things have been…quiet," she said slowly, looking worriedly at Michiko.

Said girl and her family breathed out a sigh of relief, 'that's good,' they thought. Although one thought bothered Michiko, but her grandmother beat her to the question.

"Why haven't the elders been told about this yet?" she asked. Kushina glanced at Ayaka for a moment before focusing on Michiko once again.

"I have asked him to keep this information secret from them," she said, much to Michiko's and her parent's surprise. Ayaka, on the other hand, nodded as if she expected this answer, smiling slightly at the older kunoichi. 'Seriously what the hell did I miss while I was unconscious?' she wondered.

"You said that you didn't wish to move to Konoha…," Kushina said a bit sadly, causing Michiko to feel slightly guilty, "that you want to accomplish your goal…and I want you to be able to do so…M-Minato wanted you too as well. He really gave your words a lot of thought, after you told us…So I-,"

"Thank you Kushina-nee," Michiko interrupted, "thank you, for looking out for me…but…if you wouldn't mind… I will like to stay a while longer with you," the fact that she didn't want to leave the woman alone after everything that happened went unsaid, everyone in the room understood perfectly.

And of course Kushina didn't mind, secretly she was glad that she didn't have to be alone. For that alone she was grateful.

"Right…so now that we got the tears, snot and politics out of the way…can I see my godson?" Michiko asked trying to cheer up the room.

They indeed laughed at that, baby Naruto was still blissfully asleep in his crib —a feat worthy of praise, since they were quite a loud bunch.

He was a such a tiny thing, so vulnerable and dependent. Michiko softly cooed at the baby once Kushina gave him to her to hold, rocking him gently so as to not wake him up.

It was amazing to think that this was the boy who will be hailed as a hero in years to come.

Michiko was fine, but the medics said that due to the nature of her comma, —they still had no idea what it was, and she couldn't very well say that she was having a chat with the Kyūbi— she was required to spend one more night at the hospital.

In the end she managed to bully everyone to go away and have a proper rest, which in reality was not as altruistic a reason as it sounded.

They all wanted to keep her company till the next day, but as she was awake she found the thought ridiculous and eventually they all left with Kushina.

This allowed Michiko to finally slip out of bed, a bad idea since her legs almost gave up on her. Annoyed but determined, she went through a series of stretches, slowly, so as to build up strength in her limbs.

When she was satisfied that she would not fall from simply walking, she went to rummage through her scrolls for a change of clothes. It was a bit grim, in her opinion, to have to dress in clean clothes when she herself was dirty, from so many days without a bath.

'You gotta to do what you gotta do,' she thought, as she changed in a dark brown kimono. She brushed her hair, 'Kami the grease,' and put it up in a high ponytail, not bothered about spending too much time on it. 'I need a bath.'

Putting on her normal, black, ankle length sandals, she finished up her note for the nurse before opening her window and jumping out.

They would probably need her room to host other patients; no need for her to stay there.

—.—.—.—

Making her way through the village, she noted the destruction looked by far worse in daylight. However, people were all working and helping each other.

Michiko couldn't help smiling softly at the sight.

"I hope to see this happening in Uzushio one day," she wished, before steeling her thoughts, 'No, I will see this happen…soon. I can't keep putting it off,' she decided.

It was harder to navigate herself around the village this time, since many of the landmarks she'd gotten used to seeing over the past month had been destroyed by the Kyūbi.

But eventually she managed to find her way to the cemetery, glancing at the Hokage mountain sadly as she did.

She'd missed the funeral held for the deceased, and she desperately wanted to pay her respects to Minato.

She didn't know where to start once she got there, but as he was a kage, she thought that he might have a more, obvious grave. Wandering through the graveyard, she saw non other than Kakashi standing before a red statue.

'The will of fire,' she thought, before realising that Kakashi had just lost the last member of his team.

Biting her lip, she made her way to stand beside the grey-haired boy. After all, the only grave he would be likely to visit right now, was the grave of the person she was looking for.

Standing side by side, they both remained silent.

Michiko closed her eyes and she imagined talking to Minato. Thanking him for saving them, but also calling him an idiot for using that seal. She renewed her promise to take care of his family as best as she could.

When she finished, Kakashi was still in the same position as before. Briefly, Michiko wondered if he had even twitched.

"You know…" she started softly, "it's not your fault. Never, _never_ , blame yourself for this. He wouldn't have wanted to see you like this…after all…you…are one of the people most precious to him ," she worried that she had said too much when he didn't so much as glance at her, but she saw the subtle stiffening of his shoulders.

Michiko didn't know what she expected, all she knew was that the look of despair in his lone eye was the most heart-rending thing she had ever seen.

Without saying anything he sagged against her shoulder, face buried in the crook of her neck. She froze only for a moment before forcing herself to relax. Michiko didn't know what to do, he wasn't sobbing, or shaking, or _saying_ anything. He just stood there, with his arms limp by his side.

It was obvious even from her few encounters with the boy, that Kakashi was not what his reputation made him up to be. He was lonely. It was so obvious to see. At least, to her it was, maybe Minato saw it too, and that was why he made a point of practically bullying the boy into visiting.

A little while longer —seeing as he gave no indication of moving any time soon— she hesitantly brought her arms around him.

Kakashi stiffened but soon went slack again. Michiko wasn't hugging him tightly, or rubbing his back, or murmuring encouraging words. She, much like him, was quiet, and allowed him to cry.

She was almost certain that he hadn't before.

It was still a bit surprising that he allowed her to see this side of him, they barely knew each other and she would hesitate to label them as friends. 'But…maybe that is exactly why I got to see this side of him,' she thought. As, theoretically, Michiko should have no prior knowledge of him. No other experiences with him that would make her judge him in any way.

So standing before the grave of the person they both loved, Michiko allowed Kakashi to let out his bottled feelings, never judging him, and most importantly never pitying him.

—.—.—.—

After the episode in the cemetery, Michiko somehow roped Kakashi into coming with her to the market. Wherever that was, since she wasn't sure if it was destroyed in the Kyūbi attack or not.

She couldn't for the life of her remember what Kushina had in the house, but knew that with the addition of three more people it would have to be restocked.

It turned out that the market place was indeed destroyed, but that did not deter merchants from raising makeshift stalls to sell their products. Reparations did not come cheap, after all.

Going to a stall that sold some fruits, Michiko looked over the apples. There were, among the many that were bruised and beaten, several lovely looking apples, but she started picking from the bruised pile.

The vendor, a tired looking man looked at her and attempted to convince her to buy the nicer ones.

"These ones are much better Miss," but she waved him off with a smile.

"And these will be lovely in an apple pie."

Getting a bag of them, she made Kakashi carry them— he needed something to do or else he would start feeling awkward and probably in fact, he did not mind carrying her shopping.

By the fourth stall, where she was browsing the fish, Michiko couldn't keep pretending to not notice the stares and the whispers. Paying for the fish, they left, and wandered down the busy street.

She kept her head down and was playing with the hems of her sleeves without realising it. Kakashi had of course noted and it was not hard to deduce the reason why she was feeling uncomfortable either.

"They feel grateful…,"he said.

"Huh? For what?"

"You restraining the Kyūbi…the _Sandaime_ held a speech thanking everyone's efforts and told them about what you did."

Michiko stared wide eyed at Kakashi, his words barely sinking in. 'Grateful? But she hadn't…'

She said nothing for a while, mulling over the news and biting her lip in frustration. She didn't-

"You have too many tells," he blurted, without really meaning too.

She looked at him curiously, startled from her thoughts.

"When your nervous you fiddle with your clothes, and when your frustrated you tend to bite your lip,"

"But we haven't spent nearly enough time together for you too see whether or not this is habitual," she said, though the look he gave her in reply was answer enough.

'Damn geniuses,' she grumbled mentally, as they made their way to deliver their shopping.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you are all enjoying the New Year!**


	17. Unfair Treatment

**Beta: The one and only Prince Nemui**

* * *

Michiko's body was sore and aching. Lack of proper training for the past few weeks had left her severely out of shape. So when she decided, rather loudly, that she wanted to train, Kakashi, —who Kushina forced to come for at least one meal a day— offered, much to their surprise, to help.

It had been a horrible idea. He kicked her ass in all of their spars and then somehow Guy found out about them training and offered _his help_ as well.

Needless to say that when returning home after a day of training all she would do was eat and sleep.

And while Kakashi was called away on missions, Guy —if he was in the village— would keep up with her training.

 _Every, single, morning_ …at dawn, so that they could start the day by running laps around Konoha.

She thanked every Kami for her Uzumaki stamina.

—.—.—.—

As expected, the Hokage did have a private audience with her. They discussed at length what happened that night, and what was going to happen from them on.

Hiruzen, of course, tried to persuade her to stay in Konohagakure, but Michiko tried to politely refuse, explaining her reasoning and, after a while he conceded.

Not before he named Michiko and her family honorary citizens as a form of reward for her help with the Kyūbi, of course.

He expressed his desire to tell the elders —his friends— about her jinchūriki status but she verbalised that it would not make her feel comfortable, as they could pressure him to force her to remain.

Hiruzen, although he knew that her words held truth, said that it would not be the case,however she held hard on this. Throughout the whole thing Hiruzen couldn't help but be reminded of Kushina, and silently wondered if this was a trait all Uzumaki possessed.

In the end they have agreed to keep her status a secret for now, although he requested that she present herself to the village at least once a year, so as to monitor her progress (which was a flimsy excuse, but Michiko agreed to it).

Because no matter what anyone said, she was a jinchūriki now, and it was left unsaid that she was a dangerous weapon that _could not_ fall in the hands of another village.

—.—.—.—

Michiko was furious. No, that was an understatement, she was livid.

It had been several weeks since the Kyūbi attack and she was not blind to tension that was brewing inside the village.

Many people suspected the Uchiha were involved with the attack, what with their sharingan and the stories about Uchiha Madara, but she had never believed that the villagers could go so far.

She was taking a walk through the village, finally done with her mission. (Since they were going to stay longer the Hokage allowed them to take some missions. Nothing classified or above B-rank, and even that was reserved to her parents to help free up some shinobi. Michiko mainly took D-classes, helping around the village with the occasional C-class)

When she passed by the now repaired market, Michiko witnessed a couple of people jeering and insulting two Uchiha females, —a mother and her daughter— telling them to get out of the village and calling them traitors.

The woman held her head high, back as rigid as a board and doing her best to ignore the insults. However her daughter was far more open with her reactions and was crying into her mother's skirt.

It was that which caused Michiko to see red, especially when no one even so much as offered a line of defence for the two.

Thus ignoring the way the little girl flinched as she marched passed her, Michiko stopped in front of the main assaulter, —at least a chūnin, based on his vest— and punched him in the face before he had a chance to react.

Gasps came from all around her but nobody got to say a word as Michiko unleashed her anger.

"What do you think you are doing abusing one of your own! Are you so mentally impaired that you would even start accusing a child of the events which took place?!" The man looked furious and launched a counter punch of his own, which Michiko caught without so much as batting an eyelash.

"You accuse them of being traitors…goodness gracious, how the hell do you think a child betrayed you? You think that the Kyūbi is a beast so easily controlled?" She asked mockingly

"The only traitor I see are you lot, tebbane. What happened to, _the 'Will of Fire'_? Since when did it mean you turn your back on your own?"

Several people at least had the decency to look ashamed.

"Do you think the _children_ of their clan were responsible for the attack? Do you think the _elderly_ or _the injured_ were the ones to blame? Do you think that their shinobi, which _helped_ evacuate _your families_ , the ones who _went to fight_ and _defend your village_ did it? Were they not in the shelters or fighting like everyone else? Do they look like they have not suffered loss, like they did not have to bury family from this tragedy like everyone else?

Would you like me to go on? Has the village declined so badly that a _shinobi_ thinks it is all right to scare _a child_ and _make them_ _cry_? To throw abuse at people simply minding their own business?

And do the rest of you think it is all right to just watch and allow this to happen? What example are you setting for your own children?"

Several more people gathered to see and hear the commotion. Michiko could even sense some ninjas having stopped on the rooftops to listen. 'Let them listen. _Cowards_ , the lot of them,' she thought angrily.

She looked at the expressions of the people around her, some ashamed, some defiant, some seeming like they wanted the earth to swallow them up—but many actually seemed to be _contemplating_ her words.

"Tell me, shinobi-san. Do you enjoy abusing innocent people? Do you get a kick out of it?" she watched as the man, whose fist was still trapped in her own, looked at her with wary eyes, his face having long since lost its colour.

Michiko released his fist, and with a final glare to everyone present, whirled around, walking towards the two females. Bending down so she was eye level with the little girl, so as to not scare her, she apologised for the stupid villagers, telling her that she should not allow this to upset her too much.

Michiko also apologised to the mother and offered to walk them home. Both were wide eyed as they looked at her and despite hesitating a bit, the mother accepted her offer if only to finally get out of the crowd.

The further away the got from the crowd the more the females relaxed. Eventually the little girl —who couldn't be older than five— peaked at Michiko from behind her mother's skirt and braved to ask her for her name.

Introducing herself with a wide smile, the little girl moved to walk between the two older females and introduced herself as Uchiha Izumi.

"That is a wonderful name, Izumi-chan,"

The mother introduced herself as Uchiha Hana, and thanked Michiko for her help.

It caused Izumi to once again look down at the ground sadly and take hold of her mother's kimono. This was not missed by either woman and Michiko asked Izumi —as gently as she could— what was bothering her.

"Why…why, do they blame us?" she asked in a small voice, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Because they are scared," Michiko answered before Hana was able to say something, prompting both Uchiha females to look at her.

"It is not a good enough reason, I know, and it does not excuse their behaviour…but, I think that for them…it is easier to blame something they know, rather than focus on the unknown who actually did it," she said gently.

"The unknown?" Michiko looked up at Hana briefly to see if it was all right to continue this conversation.

"That night…someone entered the village and unleashed the Kyūbi. It's scary to think that he managed to get past the patrols, and the fact that nobody knows who it was makes him seem even scarier," she said, much to the wonder of the child who did not know this information.

Passing through one of the heavily populated areas of Konoha, they made their way to the unofficial Uchiha designated residential-zone.

It was a surprise at first for Michiko to find out how close to the village's heart the Uchiha clan mainly lived.

As far as she knew, previously the Uchiha were isolated, living closer to the outskirts of the village.

In reality that was not the case. They did not have a 'compound' so to say, it was more of a 'district' with several houses built near each other. Actually, the misconception she had about the Uchiha all living in the same area was also wrong, as several families lived scattered across the village.

It was really the Hyūga that were more recluse. Closer to the busiest part of the village, but with actual walls surrounding their compound, they did not mingle with the other villagers as far as housing went.

Most of the clans actually kept to themselves, and it seemed like the Yamanaka and Uchiha clans were the most spread out.

When they reached their house, Michiko held Hana's shopping as she went to unlock their door.

Hana invited Michiko inside for lunch, as a thank you.

The redhead refused initially, not wanting to be a bother. However one look from Izumi's puppy-dog eyes and she was inside the house offering to help Hana cook—which was limited to cutting vegetables as she was an appalling cook—

In the end she spent her time entertaining Izumi with tales of her adventures from when she was younger. Michiko was in the middle of telling her about the time she offered to help an old lady —only to become the woman's slave for the rest of the day— when Hana called them to the table.

Michiko insisted on at least helping set the table. Once they gave their thanks for the food, she dug in and made sure to compliment the woman on her excellent food.

She learned that Izumi was going to start at the Academy come April, much to Hana's displeasure it seemed, though she done a decent job at hiding it from her daughter. Michiko couldn't blame the woman, after all, peace or not, the life of a shinobi was dangerous.

"What kind of ninja do you want to be Izumi-chan?" She asked the girl, watching as she adopted a thoughtful expression —which was absolutely adorable— before she said:

"The kind that protects people! I want to become strong like otō-san and help others," she said with far more seriousness than a not-yet-five-year-old should be able to posses.

From the way she said it, and how Hana stiffened, it wasn't hard to conclude that her father must have passed away.

She gave Izumi a gentle look, which she prayed was not pitying.

"As long as _you_ really want that, and give it your best, I am sure you will become a wonderful kunoichi," it was truly a wonderful sight to see someone's eyes lit up in happiness.

Once done with their meal, Hana sent Izumi to do her homework —much to the child's grumbling.

The girl surprised Michiko by trying to wrap her arms around her middle, —though she was slightly to short for her to do that— before telling her that she should come over again.

"Bye, bye, Nee-san," she said before leaving to her room, presumably. It was slightly awkward after she left, as only Michiko and Hana occupied the room now. And to make matters worse, Hana —much to Michiko's horror— bowed to her.

"Hana-san! W-wha-," she spluttered unintelligibly, completely taken back. Not that said woman was deterred.

"I wish to thank you Michiko-san. Not just for earlier but also for making my daughter smile…she, had been very distraught since her father's passing a couple weeks ago," 'The Kyūbi attack,' she thought sadly, before remembering what _that_ man said to them earlier. Oh, how she wanted to find and throttle him now.

"There is really no need Hana-san, Izumi-chan is a wonderful child, and you don't deserve that kind of abuse thrown at you…," she started rambling till seeing the look on Hana's face.

"There is also…one more thing. I would like to thank you for what you did during _that_ night…when that… _beast_ attacked," she spit out.

"Without you, I'm sure that my brother would have likely perished as well," she finished, watching the way Michiko's back stiffened, before her expression grew sad and she looked at the ground.

"I really, didn't do that much…I was unable to keep it chained long enough for the Sandaime and the rest to seal it…" she mumbled, fidgeting with her clothes.

"But you have provided people with time. That, Michiko-san, was more than enough…"

After getting that out of the way, Michiko offered to help Hana clean up. Things were still a bit uncomfortable between the two, but they eased up enough while washing the dishes for the two to strike up a conversation.

It varied from Hana's surprise at Michiko's age, "I thought you were much older when I heard the Sandaime talk about you," to Hana's confession about being worried of her daughter's chosen path.

That actually made a lightbulb go off inside Michiko's mind and she shared her opinion with the worried mother.

"What if she trains to become a medic?" at that, Hana looked up curiously.

"If she wants to and her chakra control is good enough, I don't see why she couldn't train to be a medic-nin. That way she can help protect her comrades and precious people, but also not spend a lot of time on the frontline. It is probably as safe as it can get in this profession." The more she talked, the more hope entered Hana's eyes, and the dark-haired woman hugged the younger redhead.

"Oh, that is a wonderful idea. If she would become a medic…yes I will look into it, and see what requirements they have… Thank you,"

—.—.—.—

You know what they say about each action having a consequence? Well, Michiko's little rant in the village finally caught up to her two weeks later.

It was Kushina who told her that the council wanted to speak with her about the incident.

"The council? That seems a bit much," Natsumi said.

"It is…but it seemed that some people complained about Michiko as well," Kushina said, scrunching her nose as she did, physically expressing her opinion on the matter.

"For the past few weeks, they have been deliberating about moving the Uchiha's to a more secluded area, since there has been so much animosity and mistrust building up against them."

Now _that_ caused Michiko to freeze.

Finally, some of the puzzle pieces started to fit: 'If the Uchiha are relocated, that will likely reinforce the village's mistrust of them, which in turn will make the Uchiha resent the village, leading to the coup d'état…Ugh, I'm going to have a headache.'

* * *

 **A/N: Hello wonderful people, how is 2016 treating you so far?**

 **Also Izumi Uchiha is a real character from the Naruto novels. She was Itachi's friend (no they did not date in cease anyone was wondering)**


	18. The Council, Orochimaru and Goodbyes

**A/N:So first thing to say:** **I apologise for any spelling and grammar errors, that you are more then welcome to point out. English is indeed not my first language, although that does not necessarily excuse my mistakes as I have been speaking it for years, it is a reason. I did double read this before posting and corrected mistakes that I noticed but unless I correct it after a couple days I will not see most errors and I am too impatient to wait after I finished writing to publish something.**

 **I have been reading my previous chapters and crying at all the mistakes. How did you guys put up with me all this time?! After Tuesday I am planning on going over each chapter and correcting any errors that I spot. I am trying my best to not make them I swear.**

 **Sigh, I will probably need to look for a beta that is willing to put up with my writing and see if they are willing to help**

 **Edited on the 18th of January 2016**

* * *

The meeting was a rather long and tedious affair, and Michiko had to fight to reel in her urge to throw things at the elders constantly throughout it.

It started out slowly, Hiruzen getting the formalities out of the way, introducing Michiko to the other three advisors. Then, they thanked her and Kushina for their help during the Kyūbi attack, and so on.

It finally reached the topic of the complaints, which were made against Michiko.

"It is unacceptable to attack a member of this village's military—," too bad that Koharu seemed to think that Michiko was the kind of person that just bowed down to authority, or that the young Uzumaki was as calm as she portrayed herself.

"So if they were not part of the military force, it would have been acceptable?" she demanded, interrupting the elder.

An action, which was meet by wide eyes and stiffen shoulders. Koharu even gaped at her! How delightful.

"Of course not! Attacking civilians is completely unacceptable and it would be dea—," Homura interjected angrily.

"So then, what _punishment_ , did _Hirosaki_ —the ninja she punched— receive, for verbally assaulting civilians?" she asked the man.

Kushina was watching the exchange in stunned silence, she had learnt a lot, about what made Michiko…well, Michiko.

Kushina knew the girl could be fierce, —she still remembered their first encounter and she went out to watch Michiko spar with Kakashi— she knew that she was ambitious —with a wish like hers…it would be hard not to be— and she knew that the girl was fiercely protective of her family, and the young girl was also the kind of passive-aggressive that could be downright terrifying, depending on the situation.

Nevertheless, ever since Michiko returned to help her through the pregnancy, Kushina kept being surprised by the young teen.

The girl was kind, and had a bright outlook on life, so it was hard for Kushina to remember that, like her and so many others, Michiko was also a war child. Regardless of how much her parents tried to keep the fighting from reaching the girl…the great-war touched everyone.

Therefore in moments like these, Kushina was forced to reassess her cousin. She was young, that's true, however, at times, she had the eyes of someone far older. And the older redhead _knew_ , that her cousin was far more intelligent and _aware_ , that anyone gave her credit for.

Yet, in spite of knowing all of this, Kushina was still taken by surprise when Michiko, rather than being intimidated and pushed around by the elders, _pushed back_.

Michiko's face was akin to a blank mask, her voice, carefully controlled and kept at the same volume —however you could tell that she was loosing her patience

* * *

But her eyes, 'oh yes,' Kushina though, Michiko's eyes could potentially burn anyone they set their sight on, 'maybe if she infused some chakra into them,' she mussed.

It confused Kushina for a moment, after all, while this whole meeting was unnecessary, yet it did not deem that level of anger.

'Was it the complaints?' No, Michiko wasn't the type —Kushina easily learnt— that cared very much about what others thought about her. So it had to do with the meeting itself, or the people involved. However the young Uzumaki never met the elders and only had brief encounters with Hiruzen and those never pointed towards her disliking him.

Thus Kushina listened, and marvelled, when she realised that Michiko turned the entire conversation _back_ on the elders. The little Uzumaki was cunning and she had a developed sense of morality that probably wasn't that ideal to have if you were a ninja.

Michiko didn't like the way the village treated the Uchiha.

It was so simple, that when Kushina realised it that she felt the urge to hit herself.

'Of course,' she thought, after all, the whole reason Michiko was even in this meeting was because she intervened to help two Uchiha females.

Personally, Kushina didn't agree with the way the village was treating the Uchiha, and she knew that Minato wouldn't have liked it either. However there was nothing the redhead could think of doing to change the situation…and, if she were perfectly honest with herself, like the majority of the village, she herself was also a bit wary of the clan.

But Michiko, surprising, surprising, Michiko, who had no ties with the clan, who wasn't even planing on living in Konoha, refused to accept the situation. So when the opportunity presented itself to knock some sense into people, she took it.

'That's why she had little protest to offer when I told her about this,' the woman realised in astonishment.

"You dare question our system? We are perfectly capa—" Koharu said indignantly, raising her voice.

"If the system is flawed, then I will point it out," Michiko said calmly, "instead of wasting your time arguing with me you should focus your strength on diffusing the tension between the Uchiha and the rest of the village. It is, after all, also largely your fault for not addressing the public properly and allowing them to speculate that lead to this situation," she said evenly,as her eyes roamed over the figures of the council, looking them all in the eye.

"The Uchiha clan is innocent, yet, you are willing to punish them because it is easier," she switched her gaze to the Sandaime, pinning the man with a hard stare, "Are they not just as important to the village as everyone else? Are they not part of your village? Your _family_?"

Yes, Michiko was aware that she was toeing on a dangerous line and, was being maybe unfair to the Sandaime. However in her opinion as a leader, it was his duty to ensure the well being of those under his command and old as he may be, he chose to return to the post, know the kind of burden he would have to shoulder.

Hiruzen, unlike her, was not a child; but a harden war veteran and thus Michiko was not about to treat him with kiddy gloves.

She didn't really think that her words will have any real impact, she certainly carried no weight to her name. However she needed to get this off her chest, because it wasn't right, and damn, if this whole debacle didn't piss her off.

The young Uzumaki wasn't naive; she didn't believe that life was fair however that didn't mean that they had to deal with it alone, or that people had to cause unnecessary burdens for others.

"Yet, the Kyūbi _was_ released, and that would have taken tremendous power. Power…which the sharingan is know to posses?" Danzō's voice cut through the room, a deep, controlled tone.

"I believe you must mean, _might_ be able to poses. After all if _any,_ and all sharingans were able to subdue the Kyūbi the attack would have been over quicker…As a matter of fact why allow it to kill Uchiha, if it was indeed the clan which came up with the idea?" she asked Danzō, voice never wavering.

And on it went. Danzō kept pointing out reasons why the clan is not trustworthy, while the other two advisors keep telling Michiko that this is a village matter anyway and that it had nothing to do with her. Hiruzen was the only one who rarely interjected, choosing to watch and listen instead.

While poor Kushina had no idea what she was supposed to do.

Michiko seemed to have no problem finding an answer for everything the elders threw at her and for a moment, Kushina wondered who in the world taught her to argue like this.

"Not to mention, the perpetrator was _male_ , that already eliminates all the females, all the children and elderly and he was physically able and quite tall. As pointed out earlier by _you_ , Danzō-sama, the sharingan could potentially subdue the beast. If, what they say about Uchiha Madara was true, of course. But, by that logic, everyone who does not posses the sharingan or does not have a fully developed one, couldn't have been responsible. Now I do not know the exact numbers, but I believe that reduces the suspect pool significantly. So _why_? May I ask again, is a whole clan being punished?"

'All valid points,' Kushina though, looking at her cousin, 'yes…you are truly smarter that you let people think initially Michiko-chan.'

"They might have not caused it themselves, but they could have known about it," Danzō replayed in an even tone. By this point it seemed that this meeting has turned into Michiko and Danzō firing arguments at each other.

At this argument Michiko actually snorted.

"And what evidence, pray tell do you have to back up that claim Danzō-sama? Your paranoia?" Danzō narrowed his eyes at this, 'Careful Michiko-chan,' Kushina thought desperately.

"I do not deny the possibility, however that seems highly unlikely. And again, not everyone could have know, if, for the simple fact that the more people that know a secret, the harder it is too keep it as such. Not to mention, surely Konoha had other traitors—,"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Homura interjected.

"I was going to ask if you punished even the family of those who betrayed the village. Even when it was clear that they had nothing to do with it. I would imagine not, since that might make the village grow to resent you over time. So what is different now? Is there really nobody in this room questioning the situation? Is it not the least suspicious that the man did not command the Kyūbi to attack more specific locations, when he had control over the beast?"

Now that made everyone blink in surprise, even Danzō.

"The way the fox was going it would have destroyed everything. Including the shelter if it wasn't for Minato," Kushina, flinched a bit at the name, —the pain still too fresh— and Michiko looked at her cousin apologetically from the corner of her eyes.

"So what pray tell would the Uchiha have gained by destroying even themselves? I am aware that having a target to blame makes thing easier…however you need the right target," she said, voice hard.

"If, the aim of that man was to cause a rift within the village you should do everything to prevent that outcome. Least he uses it do whatever it is that he wants to do.

Do not become his puppets."

And that was that. The meeting lasted a bit more after that point, however they all lost the will to argue.

* * *

Back home they were all gathered around the table eating dinner, Naruto peacefully sleeping in his crib, that Kushina had taken to dragging everywhere. Refusing to take her eyes off her son.

Ayaka asked several questions about the meeting, and Michiko huffed and said that people are morons, prompting a laugh from everyone with her bluntness. Kushina asked to know just who trained Michiko to argue at like that. Growing confused when Takeshi started laughing.

"Nobody did. She had always been a natural at arguing her point," Natsumi said fondly, much to Michiko's embarrassment when she started telling stories.

It was at the end of the meal when they were gathering their plates that Michiko asked Kushina if she knew how long it would take them to reach a decision about the Uchiha.

"There will be a meeting in a couple of days. They want the input of the larger council as well. So every clan head will be there too…," Michiko winched at that. 'No wonder they grew to resent the village, essentially the vast majority voted them out,' she thought sadly. However her musings prevented her from realising the way Kushina was nervously shifting, but Ayaka did not, so she asked Kushina to spit out what was bothering her.

You had to love Ayaka's bluntness.

"They invited me as well…what with six of us in Konoha at the moment…" she said nervously.

Apparently you needed at least six members in order to be considered a clan, as well as to fulfil other requirements, normally. However the Uzumaki name was famous enough that it _didn't_ actually need to prove that it was a clan, and it seemed that even with their status as honorary residents only, their name was acknowledged.

"Then if you want to go make sure to give them a piece of your mind," Takeshi said brightly, prompting Kushina to look up and see everyones smiling faces.

It made her feel silly to have even thought about them being mad at her. After their initial clash when they meet in Michiko's hospital room, they have been nothing but supportive and helpful to her.

"It really isn't the Uchiha's fault," Michiko murmured

"Why do you keep saying that? There is a chance, that they betrayed the village," Natsumi said to her daughter. And she wasn't the only one wondering why Michiko was so adamant about the clan's innocence.

Michiko fidgeted in her seat, seemingly to have an internal debate about something. She looked up at her family for a moment, before lowering her eyes once again and muttering something.

"What?" came Kushina's question. They all stopped what they were doing and were watching the teen.

"He can't sense his chakra…," she said, still quietly. Nevertheless it was loud enough for them too hear but not understand her words. Ayaka's eyes narrowed, a suspicion growing in her mind that she hoped was not true. Kushina likewise could feel… _something_ , tightening in her chest at the admission, but she was not willing to look to closely at it and discover what it was.

"Who is this…'He'?" Ayaka asked.

Taking a deep breath Michiko tried to steady her heartbeat and turned to fully face her family. She knew that she that was she was about to say was reckless and totally made up, 'But maybe,' she thought, 'maybe it will help if I give them something.'

"The chakra…of the man that attacked Kushina-nee…the kyūbi…he hasn't been able to sense it since that day…" she said, voice wavering, as she watched her families expressions pale with each word.

Nobody said anything for a long while, and that remained a fact till Ayaka got up and slapping her palm down on the table causing a sealing array to form around the house, keeping their conversation private.

"Michiko…how were you able to contact the beast?" she asked.

* * *

The day of the 'voting' came and by noon Kushina was already at the tower. Naruto left in the care of Michiko's parents and grandmother, while the girl herself went out to train and keep her mind busy.

She was lucky to have run into Guy on the way —as Kakashi was out on a mission— but the green clad boy was not making his way to the training grounds.

"This is a most youthful opportunity Michiko-chan! Come and allow me to introduce you to the others!" he shouted.

She tried to politely decline, not wanting to be a bother, but Guy had none of that and skilfully dragged her through the crowd to a dango stand.

There were already several people there, most seeming to be around their age. Everyone turned to greet Guy after his own loud greeting, but turned confused stares at the redhead he was obviously dragging.

"Guy my man, you never told me you got a girlfriend. And a cute one too!" a boy with sandy brown hair said.

Laughing it off, Guy introduced Michiko to everyone.

"She is Kakashi and I's friend. And it just so happened that I ran into her as I was coming and realised that I have failed to introduce you before!" Seriously Michiko wanted a bit of whatever Guy took for his positive energy. She murmured a greeting, suddenly shy.

She had never been surrounded by so many people her own age before —physically if not mentally— so this left her rather clueless about what to say.

However the brunette with red eyes that Guy introduced as Kurenai, took it upon herself to make space for Michiko and include her in the conversation.

They took off rather quickly, as they mainly asked Michiko questions about herself. Where she was from, how old she was, wether or not she was a ninja and so on. The brunette from earier, Genma, even offered to spar with her sometime.

Of course this deserve a declaration from Guy about how youthful Genma was which prompted a series of different discussions.

Asuma was teasing Genma, Guy was excited and Kurenai was glad to have another girl to talk too. While poor Michiko was doing her best to keep up them.

When it was time to leave, the sun was already setting. Guy offered to walk her back but she declined, saying it was unnecessary. She waved goodbye to everyone, glad to have meet them before making her way home.

* * *

Once she was far enough Genma asked Guy how he meet Michiko.

"No,actually, how did Kakashi meet her? Or how did they even become friends?" he asked in surprise.

Guy shrugged in response, not entirely sure on the detail either, however:

"I believe that she is capable of understanding Kakashi. And seeing as she is related to Kushina-san…" he trailed off

"Hmm, she's the one isn't she?" came Asuma's question, causing the small group to look at him.

"The one?" Karen asked unsure.

"The girl father mentioned, the one who helped stop the Kyūbi," he said, looking in the distance, towards the direction Michiko took off.

"Yes," Guy agreed, causing them all to reevaluate the girl they have just meet. They all were pretty certain of who she was, after all how many Uzumaki Michiko can there even be in the world. However what they imagined did not match up with who they meet.

"She's even younger than us…" Kurenai said softly, thinking of the girl who was so shy when they meet.

"That's what makes it even more amazing…being able to face that monster…" Genma said, remembering that night, while everyone else just nodded in agreement.

* * *

When she returned home, it was to an exhausted Kushina and a very awake Naruto. Leaving her shoes in the genkan, she greeted everyone.

"Tadaima!"

A chorus of okaerinasai replayed, and Michiko made a beeline for the happy baby, which her mother was mercilessly tickling.

Plucking Naruto out of Natsumi's arms she twirled her godson around, she was delighted to hear him laughing. Naruto was a bundle of joy and their ray of sunshine in this whole mess. Heck even Kakashi would smile when they forced Naruto on him.

Once done with her cooing she placed the tiny child between her mother and grandmother, taking a moment to giggle at the way the two Uzumaki women fussed over the child.

She then halfheartedly asked Kushina how the meeting went, and was shocked into silence by her response.

"The Uchiha will not be forced to move, Sandaime-sama is planning on addressing the public soon, so as to try and dissuade the people from blaming the clan for what they did not do."

That was…incredible news, and Michiko was certain that her expression said as much. 'Maybe… _maybe_ …this will be enough. Maybe things don't have to grow that bad…,' Michiko thought with renewed hope.

She didn't understand exactly what happened to cause this outcome but surely this can't be worse than what could have potentially happened.

With renewed vigour, she asked Kushina for details about the meeting. It would seem that some of the civilian representatives though that the Uchiha were too dangerous to be near their children and family and this was enough to cause Kushina to descend upon them like a vengeful furry.

"They were absolutely ridiculous dattebane!"

Eventually when it came to the actual voting, Fugaku stopped trying to plead for his clan and was just stoically watching everyone else.

"So I started it off by telling them to leave the Uchiha alone," Kushina said, and this had apparently caused more people too put forth their opinion. Nara Shikaku was in favour of keeping the Uchiha as they were and this —of course— caused the Yamanaka and Akimichi clan heads to agree as well. The Kurama clan —now _that_ name caused Michiko to do a double take— were also sympathetic and the Inuzuka clan head didn't see the point of having the Uchiha moved, and even one of the four civilian representatives believed that the Uchiha would be unjustly punished so he voted agains moving them.

"Even Hiruzen-sama was against moving the Uchiha, I swear I have never seen Fugaku look so relieved."

And with that, life returned to normal —as normal as a bunch of Uzumaki could get—

* * *

It was night-time when it happened. Just a couple of days after the meeting. Michiko was returning after a sparing match with Kakashi and Genma —who remembered his promise—. She just passed the Hyūga compound when she felt a chilling chakra right behind her.

Whirling around quickly she wasted no time in summoning her guan dao and pointing it at…

nothing.

"You have good reflexes," she managed to hold in her scream as she jumped and faced the source of the voice only to freeze on the spot.

Before her was someone that was easily recognisable. Long black hair, chalky white skin and the most terrifying yellow eyes Michiko has ever seen —maybe if they didn't belong to this particular man she would have described them as beautiful— all coupled with a smirk to finish off the effect.

'Orochimaru,' she though terrified, 'the man who has a proclivity for human experimentation…'fuck.'

"Hmm, not very talkative now," he said, taking a step closer, 'fuckfuckfuck _fuck,_ ' she thought desperately. This was the bloody snake sannin and she, was a twelve year old, alone…at night, with a sociopath and far too little chakra left.

Scanning her surrounding she flared her chakra once before she was painfully introduced to the nearby wall.

'Head, meet wall,' she thought groggily. "Ah, ah, _a,_ " he tutted, "now that, was not very nice," he said, yellow eyes staring into terrified red ones.

Orochimaru was squeezing her neck, making painfully hard for Michiko to breathe. 'Not good,' she though, her she was already tired from her spars and even at full strength she was not deluded enough to think that she posed even a minor threat to this man.

'I need to do something…,' the longer this took the harder it would be for her to do anything.

"You know, Uzumaki have such an interesting physiology. Jinchūriki don't survive having their beast extracted but yet Kushina-chan is still very much alive. It makes me really curious…is that something all Uzumaki have? That incredible life force…I'm so lucky that you are here…Michiko-chan was it? Yes, it would have been a pain trying to get Kushina with the way sensei is keeping such a close eye on her," he kept talking, 'why is he still talking,' it made no sense to her why he bothered explaining what he wanted. However it bought her enough time to set the seal.

With her palm on the wall,she generated enough chakra to created the seal. Orochimaru could't have stopped that, but he was easily able to get them both out of the explosion's range.

He hissed in anger, and likely said something but the lack of enough oxygen was making her drowsy. She did though perceive the pain of hitting the pavement and if she listened closely enough she could hear growling.

She felt several chakra flares before darkness took over and she could only hope that it was reinforcements and that she wasn't important enough for Orochimaru to bother taking.

* * *

"How do you always get yourself in these situation," was the first thing Takeshi said when Michiko woke up.

"Huh?"

She was still out of it and as a result unable to understand what her father was talking about till she realised several things:

Her father just spoke, around her was her family, minus her grandmother. She was in a hospital and Orochimaru was no where near.

With that in mind she sagged in relief agains her pillow, suddenly aware of how exhausted she felt. Before she woke up she was once again before Kurama's cage.

The giant fox was really unimpressed with her.

" **What do you think you are doing? Allowing yourself to be caught in that situation…Tsk, if you die, so will I and you best know that I will _not_ , allow that to happen.**"

She was of course drilled about what happened and when she told them about Orochimaru and what he said…lets just say that is that snake decided to show his face he will have a trio of redheads bring with hell fire on his case.

Kushina was about to say something when the door to the room opened and her grandmother, escorted by the Sandaime entered. Ayaka made a beeline for Michiko when she saw her awake, hugging her close to her chest and reprising her for once again making her age a couple of years due to worry.

Hiruzen after giving them a moment, asked Michiko how she felt and if she could tell him what happened. When she was done retelling her story two more stony faces joined the group.

With a tired sigh Hiruzen, looking far older than she remembered, lowered himself in a chair.

"Last night, we have discovered Orochimaru was carrying out illegal experimentations…" cue shocked gasps, "I went to confront him, but he was able to escape," he said tiredly.

Michiko pitied him, really, she did. However that did not stop her from mentally wondering how Orochimaru was able to successfully escape the village after a confrontation with Sarutobi.

She was told that a couple of patrolling ninjas herd her explosion and one Hyūga felt her chakra flare and found her passed out among the rubble.

After Hiruzen finished answering all the questions the redheads in the room had to ask, he took his leave telling Michiko that she had nothing to worry about and that he will have one ANBU operative trailing her…just in case.

Natsumi was also kind enough to let her know that said incident happened a good thirty-six hours ago and that Michiko had to stop scaring them like this.

* * *

Before they realised it, it was nearing the end of March. The Uzumaki family had been in Konoha for over five months, helping Kushina and the village however they could, while Michiko was also getting used to being a jinchūriki.

After admitting to have talked with Kurama, Kushina and her had an in depth conversation about what it meant to be a jinchūriki.

Michiko promised to become a kick ass kunoichi and that Naruto will grow to be an amazing shinobi as well and them being jinchūriki will not stop that.

"He has all of us looking after him, you can bet that everything will be alright!" Which was followed by a declaration to befriend the fox which left Kushina and her family quite shocked.

"He isn't the type of beast you can befriend Michiko-chan…," Kushina tried, but just as she done with the elders, the second youngest Uzumaki had non of that.

"I would hate humans too if they kept trying to use me for centuries. I can, at least try and gain some of his trust. I don't want him to hate people so much anymore!" It was an ambitious declaration for sure. Even her family didn't seem to know what to do or say in response.

However, Kushina wondered if Naruto will grow up feeling the same way. 'Is this the reason Minato though he will open the doors of a new era as a jinchūriki…Could this be what he meant by them being different?' she wondered looking at her cousin. Her dear, dear cousin, that had brought her so much joy in such a short amount of time.

'Could it be…that Mito-sama and I had the wrong idea all along?'

* * *

Items sealed and scrolls tucked away, Natsumi, Takeshi and Michikohad their backs facing Konoha's gates as they said their goodbyes to everyone that came too see them off.

A couple of weeks ago Michiko was looking at Konoha from atop the Hokage mountain and after much deliberation, made up her mind.

It was time to return _home_.

However, home did not mean their cozy house in the woods.

She wanted to go to Uzushiogakure.

That night at dinner she voiced her wish, and was meet by stunned silence.

"You do not have to come," she said, looking at her parents and grandmother, "but I have made a vow that I know will take me years to fulfil. So…I think it is time I take a more proactive approach to it."

Nobody knew exactly what to say, Kushina was, admittedly upset that Michiko was going to leave, despite knowing in advance that it would happen…she just hoped, after seeing her adapt so well in Konoha, that she would change her mind. She should have know better, her cousin was nothing, if not stubborn.

Her parents on the other hand were experiencing a flashback from years past, of their young girl declaring her intent to rebuild their old home. An impossible dream…yet…here she was declaring the start of said wish. They didn't really know how to react, even after all these years. However what they both knew, was that they weren't just going to let their little girl face such hardship alone.

Ayaka on the other hand was simply watching her granddaughter. The stubborn light in her eyes had never faltered since that day and she knew, regardless of whether or not she was successful, that she would give it her best shoot. 'She's too much like her grandfather to allow something as silly as it being impossible to stop her,' Ayaka thought fondly, if a bit sadly.

It was her that asked michiko what she was planning on doing and as expected, she wasn't completely certain —go figure— but thought that the first step would clearly be too clear up the place.

"You will need the daimyo's approval first," Ayaka told her, much to Michiko's surprise. "The land still belongs to him, and if you are planning on building a village you will need to convince him," with that said she rose from the table, leaving Michiko to mull over her words.

When Ayaka returned, it was bearing a thin, elegant, scroll, sealed and tied with a golden string. "Take this," she said, holding it out before Michiko, "Go to the capital, make sure you look presentable or they won't allow you to step even a foot near the palace. Tell them that you come bringing news from Uzumaki Ayaka. Make a bit of a scene if you must …or simply avoid the palace guards, and make your way to the entrance. Someone will have to come and escort you to a waiting room eventually. _Do not_. I mean it Michiko, do not give this scroll to anyone but the daimyo himself. Do you understand?"

She did, kind of, but this was the first time Michiko actively wondered just who, her grandmother used to be. It must have been expressed on her face because Ayaka sighed softly, before running a hand over her cheek.

"That, my child, is ancient history. You focus on your future if you want your dream to become reality," and after that Ayaka further shocked everyone by declaring her intention of staying in Konoha.

"I'm too old for this, and I will only hold you back," she silenced Natsumi's protests, "not to mention that someone needs to help Kushina," said woman tried to argue that it was not necessary and that she should not stay behind because of her.

"I have made up my mind, if anything this will give more reasons for the two of you —Natsumi and Takeshi— to come visit Konoha more often…We already know that there will be no stopping Michiko from doing so."

With that said, preparations were being made. Michiko went to see Hiruzen and tell him of these changes, the old man made one last bid at convincing her too stay but ended up wishing her good luck for the future. —As well as reminding her to come next year—

She also timidly made her way to Hana and Izumi's home to bid them farewell. After their initial meeting, Michiko meet up with the two females three more times, and once even meeting Hana's brother, Tekka.

Guy of course was lamenting her leave, while simultaneously expressing how youthful she was being for following her dream, typical Guy. Kakashi didn't say much, but he wished her a good journey, and she punched him in the arm, threatening him to not forget about eating at Kushina's house just because she wouldn't be there to drag him. That did get a small smile from him. —seriously that mask did painfully little in hiding his expression—

Of course Konoha's green beast made sure to spread the news, amongst everyone Michiko became friends with so, when the time came, everyone mentioned previously was there to see them off.

She hugged most of them goodbye, spending just a little —a lot— more time with Kushina and Naruto.

"Before you leave I want you to have this," she said, handing Michiko a small scroll, "don't open it till later though," she warned.

A bit confused, but nonetheless touched, Michiko nods and promises the older redhead.

Guy in a shower of tears and sparkles, 'that has got to be genjutsu,' hugged her fiercely, promising to do two hundred laps around Konoha to commemorate this day.

"Ara, you don't have to do that Guy," but he wouldn't hear any of that.

Kurenai, was also present, and she handed Michiko a small tin of tea leaves which said girl really enjoyed, making Michiko promise to not shy away from visiting her when she was in the village again.

Izumi and Hana also made an appearance, and the young girl launched herself at Michiko's knees, hugging them tightly and proclaiming that she will become "an amazing kunoichi like nee-san," much to everyones amusement and Michiko's embarrassment —you could hear Guy in the background going on about youth—

It was a bit of a shocking, and at the same time heartwarming experience for Michiko's family; seeing all the people that she made friends with. Especially if one knew that as a child, Michiko didn't have any children close to her age to interact with.

Ayaka also hugged them all, and made them promise to visit often. It might have been her decision to stay —and she wasn't about to regret it— but it pained her all the same to see her loved ones going.

After that the trio left Konohagakure and Hi no Kuni.

* * *

They made a stop at their little house to seal up everything so that they could take it with them, and Michiko once again reminded them that they had no need to follow her. Which resulted in her father boinking her on the head, and her mother telling her to stop being ridiculous.

"You might be growing up," Takeshi started, "but you are still our child and if you are ready to face such a task…then it is our duty as your parents to support you and see you through it."

They stayed a couple of days, carefully packing all their mementoes and knick-knacks, before they set out once again.

Only this time, they weren't sure what exactly awaited them.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so, so, much for reading, (and dealing with my appalling spelling and grammar) favouring, following and/or reviewing this story.**

 **Right, after Tuesday semi-regular updates will be a thing. Since I am done with my mock exams after Tuesday, which I'm going to fail splendidly mind you. But hey life goes on, and if you don't hear from me soon it is because my head will explode tomorrow from biology. Gah, why did I pick that subject.**

 **xxOchibixx: YES, YES I SWEAR I WILL TRY TO DO A BETTER JOB AT THAT! God I re-read those chapter and wanted to cry. My main issue is that if I read something soon after writing it, I just don't realise there are mistakes. But then 2-3 days later when I read it...BAM! I see them, so I am planning on editing all of the other chapters. I will however try to not make as many mistakes when I first publish a chapter.**

 **Lavendor Queen: To prevent the massacre will be a hard thing, because it doesn't jut depend on Itachi, but on Danzō and Hiruzen mainly. It also has to do with how the village views the Uchiha which caused them to grow hateful towards the village which Obi takes complete advantage off.**

 **Ceralyn+SamiJ+silverfoxkurama: Thank you very much! I hope you will keep liking this story :any errors**


	19. Reunion

Arriving in Uzushiogakure, the trio stopped for a moment. Sitting on the wall surrounding the village and taking in the sight the sight before them.

This was the first time Natsumi returned to her home since its destruction.

And it showed in the way her eyes roamed over the visible buildings, taking in the lack of life, shoulders slumping slightly, before repeating the process; just like Takeshi did all those years back.

And, like him, she refused to make a sound as she worked through her feelings.

Michiko didn't know for how long they stayed there, standing next to each other. A silent reminder that they had each other, but by the time they moved the sun was high in the sky and the nature around them came to life.

Natsumi was the first to break the break the atmosphere surrounding them, muscles tensing and stance shifting. Unconsciously provoking the other two to follow her example, preparing themselves for an unseen enemy.

"Natsumi?" Takeshi asked, hands already working on unfurling a scroll and summoning his weapon.

"I felt several chakra signals further ahead…gone, or rather, masked right now," she explained, eyes narrowing at a point in the distance.

Expanding her own senses Michiko attempted to feel the signatures her mother mentioned with no luck.

While the youngest Uzumaki wasn't bad when it came to chakra sensing, she could not compete with someone like Natsumi. Who was a honed sensory type that could, if she knew your chakra well enough, pinpoint your location across vast distances.

"How many?" Michiko asked.

"Nine…tsk, I couldn't get a proper read on them…but, I think some might have been, children?" Natsumi said, brown furrowing in concentration. It sounded more like a question if Michiko was being honest and it did raise a couple of questions.

'Children? Why would they be here?'

She voiced as much and was meet by the same questioning look from her father.

"Do you think…do you think people live here?" Michiko hesitantly asked her parents, wondering on the kind of people that would _chose_ to live in these deserted ruins. —They would— 'Desperate people,' was her first though, 'people who don't want to be found or who have no where else to go.'

With a silent agreement between the three, they raised their hoods —"This just makes us look suspicious!"— and jumped from the wall. Using chakra to absorb the impact of their landing.

* * *

As they made their way through the abandoned homes, Michiko couldn't help but feel…something.

Not frightened, but not really anxious either. She couldn't name the feeling exactly. It felt…it felt like a treasure hunt, where you knew something amazing awaited you at the x but you just didn't know what it was.

Exited?

Whatever it was, the trio were nearing the location where Natsumi initially felt the chakra signatres.

"Further west," the woman suddenly said, "they are still masking their presence but not all of them are as good," she answered their unvoiced question.

'Still good enough to give you some trouble,' Michiko though somewhat admiringly of the people they were essentially trying to stalk.

 _Trying_ , being the key word as Michiko jumped backwards, avoiding being hit by the blade of her ambusher.

Her red haired ambusher.

'You have got to be-' but she never got to finish that though as the boy quickly recovered his momentum, blades already reaching for Michiko, who twirled out of the way. Taking a moment to survey the scene.

Both her parents were engaged in a fight with another male. Her mother was fighting a tall, lean male, with sandy coloured skin and light blonde hair, while father was fighting another redhead.

However unlike Michiko's assailant,he was taller and built like a brick wall. But, just like the boy fighting her, he was wielding some bladed brass knuckles.

'Wicked,' she though as she twirled out of the tanned boys reach, slightly delighted in his angered expression.

"Too much of a coward when it comes to close combat?" he taunted, hoping to get a rise out of his opponent.

It did cause Michiko to roll her eyes heavenward. The boy was so obvious.

'But his chakra,' she thought, analysing it, 'an Uzumaki, no doubt,' she concluded, wide eyed and about to call for a cheese fire; only to have Natsumi beat her to it:

"Stop!" she shouted, avoiding the lightning jutsu aimed towards her. Too bad non of the males seemed to be paying attention to her words.

Growing annoyed with how long this fight was going on, Michiko bit her thumb and went through a quick series of hand seals before slamming her palm to the ground, summoning Mitsuki and Tsubaki to the fight.

"Immobilise only," she commanded, switching from defence to offence, using only taijutsu to strike the boy while avoiding his blades.

She could distantly hear her mother shouting for them all to stop fighting, as she shunshinined behind the boy just as Mitsuki managed to trip him and Tsubaki latched onto his left arm. To complete the image, Michiko very 'elegantly' plopped unto his back.

"O-OY! Get off me fat-ass," he sputtered.

"Damn it! Daichi, STOP FIGHTING!" Natsumi's voice boomed, finally managing to catch the older redhead's attention.

The blonde jumped besides the other man and the fighting came to a stop. Even the boy underneath her stopped wriggling as they all watched her mother —who was still hooded like the other two— and the redheaded man.

"Who are you?" he questioned, blue eyes narrowed upon her mother's figure who finally lowered her hood.

The man gasped, "Natsumi?!" he asked in a trembling voice.

"It really is you…Daichi, its been so long!" Natsumi said happily, running up to the man and hugging him around the neck.

Laughing the man twirled her around before finally asking her what she was doing here.

"You're alive! Oh, you alive, I'm so glad to see you Natsumi. How have you been? Is anyone else alive? Where have you been all these years?" he fired rapidly and before the woman even had a change to replay it seemed like he remembered that they have company and switched his gaze to Takeshi, who lowered his own hood and was sending an amused look towards the two, before finally looking toward Michiko who was still seated, lotus-style, on the youngest male.

"Who…who are these people?" he asked, keeping his eyes on Michiko —who forgot to take off her hood— and the two foxes by her side.

"This is my husband Takeshi…you remember him right? Never gave me a moment's peace when we were younger. And that over there is my daughter-Michiko take off your hood," she ordered, "and those two are her summons Tsubaki and Mitsuki," Natsumi finished in a rush.

The older male seemed to slow blink in shock a couple of times before turning toward Takeshi and looking at him.

"By the sage, it really is Takeshi," he muttered, "and a daughter," he said turning towards Michiko once again just as she lowered her own hood and flashed them a wide smile.

"Good day to all of you," she greeted politely, waving at the two, slightly confused men, before finally looking at the boy beneath her. Who managed to twist his neck around enough for them to make eye contact.

Dark red clashing with chocolate brown.

"Sooo~ are we done with the fighting? See I told you those hood make us look suspicious!" Michiko said playfully, pointing a finger at her father, who catching on to her intentions, placed both hand on his chest and dramatically apologised before their stupefied audience.

Natsumi did not count and she only rolled her eyes at their antics.

Michiko finally got off the boy and offered a hand to help him up only to have it slapped away as he got up on his own.

"Don't bother Tsubaki," she said softly to her growling fox.

With a glare, the boy made his way towards Daichi and the unknown blond man.

"Sorry for my sons's attitude," Daichi apologised knocking the boy over the head, much to said boy's protests, before introducing them.

"This is my oldest son Toshio and this is my brother-in-law Chintsū" he introduced, pointing from the scowling redhead to the slightly bemused blonde.

"It is nice to meat you," Takeshi replayed, going up to shake their hands, guan dao resting on his shoulder. 'Mom might know them-him, but dad is not, taking any risks,' Michiko thought.

Nevertheless following her father's example she made her way over to the male trio and introduced herself properly.

"Takes after Takeshi more than she does after you," Daichi commented, sending Natsumi an amused look to which she replayed with a snort.

"Don't I know it," she said light heartedly.

Michiko really needed a moment to process the way her mother was acting.

Slightly taken back by how at ease she sounded talking with a man who was attacking them two minutes ago.

Not to say that Natsumi wasn't a pleasant woman, Michiko's mother normally gave off an air of peace and confidence no matter what she was doing. And it wasn't like the woman lacked humour, —she's married to Takeshi—but she only really acted so at ease in Takeshi's presence. So seeing her doing the same in Daichi's… tilted her world, if only slightly.

"Ahaha, I think we should explain to the kids what is going on. They look so confused," he laughed.

" _I'm_ confused," the blonde, now identifiable as Chintsū said.

"Ah, Daichi and I were childhood friends and neighbours growing up. After Uzushio…I never though I would see you again. And you have a son to boot! Who's the lucky lady eh?" Natsumi teased.

'Oh my kami…mom is teasing him, this is weird. This is so weird, I feel like a kid that doesn't understand adult talk. Wait, I am a kid, kinda, physically…well I was always childish-gah I lost my train of though,' Michiko though, someone what exasperatedly, pointedly ignoring the look Toshio was giving her.

Ignoring the looks everyone were giving her from the corner of their eyes.

"Right, come, let me introduce you to everyone else," Daichi said jovially, his voice deep and pleasant, Michiko noted, as he made animated small talk with her mother. Using ample amounts of hand gestures and including her father and the other male in the conversation as well.

'I can see them being friends,' Michiko thought fondly, skipping a few paces behind the adults, simply happy that this turned out to be a far more pleasant meeting than what she imagined.

Mitsuki and Tsubaki were following behind her, taking in the sights before them and mapping the area for later use.

"Aren't you in a great mood," Toshio said, voice slightly cracking at the beginning, and his cheeks heating up, but Michiko pretended to not notice. 'No need to embarrass him over something natural,' she thought.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked him, giving the slightly taller boy her full attention, noting that his eyes were actually a deeper shade of brown than chocolate.

His hair was a very light shade of red, and when the light hit it at a particular angle it had an orange tint to it. He was tall and lanky, with a deep tan that Michiko enviously thought was natural and all in all looked like he would be a very warm person if not for his rather poor attitude.

He seemed like he wanted to say something but a loud "Daddy!" interrupted their conversation before it could even really start.

Turning around to watch the incoming missile heading toward Daichi, Michiko couldn't stifle a chuck when the large man move a bit backwards when the little child launched themselves at him.

Taking a look around, Michiko noticed a few more people making their way towards them.

There were two tall women, —'those legs,' Michiko thought, in true envy this time— both were a deep brown, with strait, wheat coloured hair and dark eyes. One was dressed in a long sleeved, teal, kimono shirt, with form-fitting pants that reached her calves and standard blue sandals, while the other was dressed in lose, red, high necked, sleeveless shirt with the same pants and sandals and with her long hair tied up in a ponytail.

There was also three children behind them whose features Michiko couldn't make out properly.

"Ah, I get it, I get it Kohaku, but please calm down now. I want to introduce you all to an old friend of mine and her family," Daichi managed to get out as Chintsū walked past the scene unperturbed, as if he saw this exact scene too often for it to even register anymore, before wrapping an arm around the blond wearing the kimono top and kissing her cheek.

"Right this is my family," Daichi started, gesturing towards the group ahed.

"This little rascal is my princess, Kohaku," introducing the little missile.

She was a tiny thing, barely reached Daichi's knees, with bright orange hair, honey coloured skin and impossibly large dark eyes, framed by equally impossibly long eyelashes, all encased within a round face that was too adorable for words.

It was a true feat of mental discipline that Michiko did not launch herself at the child to coo over how adorable she looked.

'A little princess indeed,' she thought fondly, sending a smile and wave at the child which was rewarded by a wide gapped toothed smile, 'Kyaa~'

"This is my wife Etsuko," he introduced the other blonde who made her was to kiss his temple and was now watching them with glinting dark eyes, "and my youngest son and Kohaku's twin, Makoto," he finished. Pointing towards the other small child, who was hiding behind his mother, 'So cute,' Michiko mentally gushed.

His eyes were just as large as his sister's and just as dark, with a stock of even brighter orange hair—'How does blonde overpower red in this world?'— which stuck out in every direction as if it was electrified.

"You know Toshio and Chintsū and this is his wife and Etsuko's sister Airi and his two daughters, Kōmyō and Mikomi," Daichi finished introducing.

The final pair introduced were two blonde girls, which looked to be around Michiko's age.

Clearly taking after their mother, with their bronze skin and dark eyes. They were tall and willowy, with full lips and equally wicked grins on their faces. The only way Michiko could tell them apart was by the fact that Kōmyō was taller, and more filled out compared to Mikomi.

Michiko tuned out the part were Daichi introduced them to the gathered people, preferring to map out her surroundings, noting that this area was close to the river which crossed part of the village, further away from the main area of destruction.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that, only the weeks of being exposed to Guy's random appearance acts prevented Michiko from screaming when Kōmyō and Mikomi seemingly apparated next to her.

"Maaa, we haven't seen anyone other than Daichi with this kind of red hair," Mikomi said, as she took Michiko's braid in her hands and began playing with it, completely ignoring the girl otherwise.

"True that, true that," Kōmyō agreed, joining her sister in playing with Michiko's hair.

"Aaaaa," Michiko tried, at a loss of words in regards to what she was meant to say. A glance around the clearing showed that everyone else was engrossed in their own conversation and the only one Michiko spotted that was not talking was Kohaku but she was playing with Mitsuki and Tsubaki—and Makoto but he was hiding so that didn't count—.

"Doesn't it take you hours to brush all this hair, I can barely deal with mine," Kōmyō said, tossing a strand of wheat blonde hair over her shoulder.

"I, got used to it?" she said, cruising at how unsure she sounded.

Michiko was really lucky that she missed the look the sisters shared between themselves, or she might have been tempted to take a page out of Makoto's book and hide behind her mother.

* * *

Two weeks later, the new Uzumaki family settled into one of the abandoned homes. Which the others helped them set up and make habitable once again.

Over this period of time Michiko was able to learn that most of the people present hailed from Kaminari no Kuni.

Chintsū actually used to be a ninja of Kumogakure, but defected during the third shinobi world war when he found out that Airi was pregnant and the current Raikage did not want to pardon him from duty. Wanting to be present in his family life he defected from his village.

Airi and Etsuko were civilians, born and raised, that could easily intimidate their husbands which they both met through a chance encounter.

They all lived in a small village on one of Kaminari no Kuni's islands, closer to the easter border.

They moved here, in the ruins of Uzushiogakure because Chintsū was discovered and subsequently Daichi's status as an Uzumaki survivor was as well. They fled their country and home and chose Uzushio because it seemed unlikely that anyone would have thought of looking for them here.

Michiko could see the merit behind the idea.

"It was hard in the beginning but we adapted. It has been about two years now since we moved here," Airi told Michiko when asked.

Despite their impromptu arrival, the trio was easily accepted by the two families…maybe to a lesser extent Toshio, who Michiko found out later was still miffed that she beat him so easily.

"So, you're a ninja?" Kohaku asked in awe when she saw Michiko training with the foxes.

She was facing against Tsubaki, Mistuki, Dendō and old Ryoshi.

The foxes—Mitsuki and Dendō— taking sadistic delight in trapping Michiko in various genjutsu or body slamming into her and introducing her to the ground.

"Yup," she replayed happily, grinning at the awestruck expression the young twins were wearing. They were just too cute for life.

* * *

One night, early in their third week Michiko asked her parents about how they could contact Ayaka to let her know that they were fine.

"Ayaka-san?!" Daichi asked in obvious shock. Turning towards Natsumi the redheaded Uzumaki gapped for a few seconds before finally asking:

"Your mother is alive as well?" and at Natsumi's nod his mouth opened wide and he was doing a wonderful imitation of a fish out of water till Etsuko hit him over the head.

"Where is she then? Is she alright?" he fired rapidly.

"Yes, mother is fine…She is in Konoha at the moment," she said, somewhat hesitantly and Michiko didn't understand why till she registered the frozen stances of the other adults present.

Takeshi not counting, he was enjoying the show.

"K-Konoha?" he whispered before voice returning to its normal volume.

"Did they take her? Why is she there? And Konoha. Of all places she ended up in _that_ village!"

Judging by his tome and expression he wasn't a big fan. Choosing to save her mother from the barrage of questions, Michiko shifted the attention towards herself.

"No, bāchan chose to stay behind in Konoha to help Kushina-nee with the baby," she said happily, noting the astonished look on their faces.

It was surprisingly Chintsū who broke the silence. The normally quiet man turned towards Takeshi and very seriously asked:

"You have another daughter and you allowed her to get pregnant?" Michiko could never remember laughing so hard in her life. Takeshi immediately chocked on the food he was eating while valiantly trying to express an outraged/shocked expression.

"OF COURSE NOT!" he bellowed, once he could finally speak again. But the poor people, they all looked even more confused now.

"But Michiko-chan said-" Daichi tried in vein to say, only for Natsumi to answer his unfinished question.

"Michiko adopted Kushina-chan as an older sister a couple of years back. The two are rather close. And she is new when it comes to motherhood, so mother chose to stay and help Kushina raise her son," Natsumi finished gently, a smile on her face.

Her and Takeshi might have started off on the wrong foot with the woman, blaming her initially for the condition their daughter was in. But after a verbal lashing from Ayaka, and the months they spent in Konoha, the redheaded woman and Naruto became a permanent part of their family.

"Konoha…"Chintsū said, eyes looking at his tea cup, seemingly willing it to gift him with the answers to his questions.

"I heard rumours that it was attacked," he began slowly, looking up from his cup and making eye contact with Michiko.

"Attacked?" Mikomi questioned, looking first at her father and then at the three Uzumaki seated at the end of the long table they had outside. **(A/N:They were eating outside, it's late spring/March so it's rather warm, also Michiko's birthday passed so she is thirteen now)**

"Ah…they say a monster destroyed the village," the twins gasped in fright, while everyone else looked on curiously, if slightly warily.

"You mean the Kyūbi attack," Michiko broke the silence, uncomfortable with how thick the atmosphere between all of them became.

"So it's true?" Ari asked, shock and fright evident in her dark eyes.

"Yes, it is," Takeshi said slowly, eyeing everyone cautiously, scared that they might do something.

What? He wasn't sure. But with his daughter being what she now was…he refused to take even the slightest of chances.

"Tell me you were not caught in it," Daichi plead with them looking from Natsumi, to Takeshi and finally Michiko. Noting their grave expressions and fearing about how close to death they would have been, if they were in the village when it happened.

" _We_ weren't," Natsumi said bitterly, hands tightening over her tea cup, memories from that time, of Michiko laying still in a hospital bed still haunting her.

"We?" Toshio asked, having noticed the way Natsumi stressed the word. Sighing, Michiko was once again hit with a bout of guilt at having put her parents through that.

"I was," she finally admitted, ignoring the gasp from Kōmyō and her mother.

The look Etsuko sent her. The way even Toshio looked at her with wide eyes, or they way Chintsū looked at her with pity.

And she definitely ignored Daichi's look, knowing that if she made eye contact with him, she would see all the questions floating through his mind.

He was an Uzumaki, one that was so well versed in their clan's primary art that he once used to be part of the village's barrier team. He would certainly know that nobody could truly kill a bijū. That they were often sealed within humans to keep them under control.

And that Uzumaki made mighty fine jinchūriki.

Maybe he sensed the atmosphere, maybe he didn't even think to about it, but he didn't ask any of the questions Michiko was afraid that he would ask.

"You were there?" he asked instead, wanting to confirm that he heard right.

"Yes, I promised I would stay with Kushina-nee as she was nearing her due date," Michiko answered honestly, finally looking up from her tea to take in her surroundings.

"Weren't you scared," Makoto, bless his soul, quipped in. Looking at Michiko with his large dark eyes, as he peaked from behind his mother.

"I was terrified," she admitted, smiling gently at the five year old, as his mouth made a small 'o' shape.

"At least you survived and are well," Airi said, trying to defuse the tension. And it worked…to an extent. Everyone that was not her parents relaxed somewhat.

But not Natsumi and Takeshi. If possible their backs straightened even more and their expressions grew more frozen. A reaction, which did not go unnoticed by most.

Looking from Michiko to her parents, something must have clicked in Toshio's brain because he opened his moth and said bluntly:

"Something happened to you didn't it?"

'I hope you eat a lemon and choke on it,' MIchiko thought annoyed, watching her parents from the corner of her eyes and winching for the poor tea cups. Seriously, why did all serious conversations happened when tea was involved?

"Yes…she had to be hospitalised for a while," Natsumi stated in a bland tone, that belittled the way she felt during that time.

"What happened?" Etsuko asked, her own motherly instincts kicking in. The mere though of being told that one of her children were hospitalised after an event such as that…

Working to hold in a groan, Michiko sent a quick prayer to whatever Kami was listening, asking them why they let this conversation turn so dark.

"Chakra exhaustion," she told the woman, not wanting to make her parents have to say it out loud. It was so much more than chakra exhaustion for them.

"Chakra exhaustion," Daichi questioned, one eyebrow raised.

"I used too much chakra trying to restrain the Kyūbi and fainted," she told him.

Not a lie.

She did faint after her attempt at holding Kurama still but that wasn't _exactly_ the reason why she ended up in a coma.

"…You, tried to restrain the nine-tails?" Daichi asked somewhat hysterically, eyes large as saucers, and seemingly seeing Michiko for the first time.

He sent Natsumi and Takeshi a desperate look, hoping that they would rebuff Michiko for making up such a ridiculous story.

'She's a little girl. A child!… No, no way. She couldn't have retrained a beast of that power. Not on her own,' he thought, recalling everything he knew about the bijū. Their strength and the kinds of seals required to keep them sealed. Everything!

And it all pointed to the fact that if this girl could hold it still, even for a short while… 'what kind of child did those two raise?' he wondered.

Daichi's hopes were crushed however when Natsumi and takeshi made absolutely no move to contradict Michiko. A defeated sort of resignation plastered all over their faces.

"No…No way," he muttered, shoulders slumping and eyes turning toward the girl in question.

He saw her train, he saw her interact with everyone and while he could easily admit that she had talent…he severely underestimated her.

Suddenly Daichi remembered the conversation he had with Natsumi and Takeshi all those weeks ago, when they first arrived.

Back then their answer when he asked them what they were doing back here in Uzushio. Their answer caused him to laugh and pity them at the same time.

Their daughter sounded like a handful and while she was a nice girl, he pitied her for the moment when she would realise that her dream would remain just that.

A dream.

"The sandaime told us that she managed to chain down the beast long enough for allow everyone to evacuate," Takeshi said, arms crossed across his chest. Looking at his little girl in resignation and slight…awe?

"She wants to rebuild Uzusiogakure," Natsumi confession echoed in his mind, and he could remember Airi's snort of disbelief. He could remember his own moment of shock before thinking how amazing the imagination of a child could truly be.

"In the end she helped prevent most of Konoha's destruction. Chained it long enough for the Yondaime to deal with the fox in person," the man continued.

Suddenly Daichi understood why Ayaka staying back in Konoha wasn't treated as that big of a deal by the three.

Michiko must be some sort of hero for them. And if all she asked for in return was for them to leave her grandmother alone…

A short, uncontrollable laugh bubble out of Daichi and Natsumi gave him a knowing look. As if she knew exactly what he was thinking of.

'Maybe she does know,' he thought. The two of them were more than best friends. They grew side by side like siblings and Natsumi was always good at telling what he was thinking.

He ignored the rest of the conversation that bloomed around him. All Daichi could do was look at the girl seated across from him.

Watching her watching him.

Something clicked in his mind then, and suddenly, it didn't seem so crazy anymore.

'Rebuilding Uzushiogakure huh,' he though as he stared into the girls dark red eyes. 'Just like his eyes,' he thought, recalling Natsumi's father.

The same eyes, that, as a child, he thought held the answers to the universe.

The eyes which were capable of seeing through anyone.

The eyes which looked upon him and Natsumi with such fondness as they grew up.

The eyes he never though he would see again were staring right at him through the very man's descendant.

'Maybe she isn't as idealistic as I though her to be.'

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, a month huh? Sorry for the long wait. My excuse is that I didn't feel like writing, school and 2 other stories that my brain though it would be smart to start writing.**

 **Sorry for any mistakes, I went over it and corrected anything I saw, but please feel free to point out my errors. I also started editing previous chapters to make them flow better and correct mistakes (Though chapter 2 still has them T.T) so chapters: 1, 2, 3, 5, 14 and 18 have been edited. The only difference and this really just applies to older readers is that I gave a detailed description of Michiko's family in the first chapter and one of Michiko in the second one. The third chapter explains how she found the fox scroll in more detail as well.**

 **Now the most important announcement!**

 **Thank you all so much for reading this story! It means so much, I never though -sounds so cheesy- that people would enjoy it quite so thank you so much lovelies! You keep me writing and give me so much motivation!**

 **Now for those who remember my almost daily updates, sorry that they will not happen anymore. School is growing more intense as we are nearing exam season and I can't dedicate as much time writing.**

 **It is also not a matter that I don't know where the story is heading, it's actually completed in my head. Now it is just a matter of typing it as well. I made several notes and plans and till the year 13AKA (After Kurama's Attack) I have detail notes of the events. I actually can't wait till I get to year 5AKA ;)**

 **xxOchibixx:I know right?**

 **Petalclaw's PatriceBethPorter: Thank you so much dear XD**

 **T-B-R: Haha thanks, maybe I'll write an make and add that there?**

 **Draco Oblivion: Thank you so much! Your pointers really helped! And haha oh my! I never even though of that comparison before!**

 **RebeliousOne :Hehehe :) Danzo...is a special character for which I have something equally special prepared for *smirks***

 **lizy2000:thank you for reading my story darling! And baby Naruto is indeed adorable to imagine!**

 **KiwiWunderbar:OMG, yeah they were my first ship (or second? I forgot). However who knows ;) this isn't a story that focuses on romance, not that it can't exist. It will just never be a focus**

 **PredatorPuck:OMG, I was getting notifications on my phone as you kept reviewing and all I could think of was no don't read that yet I haven't edited it and it sounds horrible! But you were so lovely throughout all your reviews and while I haven't had time to implement all your suggestions (aka my spelling .) I have not ignored them and appreciate them a lot. Thank you!**

 **Ethereal780:Thank you!**

 **4everfictional: Thanks, hahaha fate? The kami that decided to throw her in this world? Or maybe...:O! Her live is controlled by some stupid writer XP**

 **Haha, thans for reading!**

 **rianty44: Thank you so much! Next chapter is already being written so it should be much quicker than this one!**

 **Hellfire000:Thank you soooo much darling! Hope you liked this chapter.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! We can finally see how the hell she plans on reviving a dead village!**

 **Let me know what you though and see you next time!**


	20. Interlude

**Beta: I think I have run out of adjectives to praise Prince Nemui with. Oh, what about an epithet? Praiseworthy Prince Nemui**

* * *

Daichi had never been a frontline fighter. Not while Uzushiogakure was standing and certainly not after it was destroyed. He knew it, his family knew it, _everyone_ knew it. It was simply a fact about his life that he had accepted long ago.

He often thanked the Kami that he was never placed in a situation where he had to fight someone that was completely beyond his skill level. Where losing would mean forfeiting his life, or the life of his loved ones.

Yet, despite knowing this, despite knowing that this world was filled with people far stronger than himself, Daichi made a mistake.

And this mistake costed him a good portion of his ego.

Yes, Daichi knew that, while he was a fūinjutsu master —an art so few bothered with perfecting any more— when it came to taijutsu he should be wary of his opponents.

Even when said opponents were thirteen year old girls that enjoyed laughing and were rather silly in their day to day life.

No, Daichi should have taken this seriously from the beginning _because_ his opponent was a thirteen years old Uzumaki female. One with Takeshi's blood running through her veins.

'I am such a fool,' he thought as his wife helped treat his wounds, while doing a very poor job at stifling her giggles.

'This is all Toshio's fault,' he decided. Doing the mature thing and blaming this whole situation on his eldest son.

"Oh, stop grumbling dear. This is all your fault, anyway," Etsuko chimed in helpfully —'Seriously can this woman read minds?'— as she gathered the ointments and placed them back in their respective cupboards.

"Though, I must say. Michiko-chan is much stronger than I thought," she continued.

"That's an understatement," Daichi grumbled, getting off the stool and kissing his wife's cheek.

"Mah, don't try to distract me," she batted him away, laughing at his pout, "and stop with that expression. Your pout can't hold a candle to the twins'."

"Oh, fine, fine. Go ahead, laugh at your poor old husband that got his ass kicked," he said, mock glaring at the blonde woman.

"Don't forget to add in the fact that you got your ass kicked by a _prepubescent girl._ The _very_ _same_ girl you teased Toshio for not being able to beat in a friendly spar," she added, dark eyes glinting in the light.

"Right," he said, exiting his house and going over to help Natsumi with the barrier seal she was working on.

'She won't laugh at my misfortune,' he thought, somewhat hopefully.

Sitting down at the table where the red-headed Uzumaki woman was working, Daichi ignored the way his childhood friend was smirking at him knowingly.

Right, this was not his lucky day.

"So you decided to fight Michiko, eh?" she asked, eyes alight with mirth.

"I guess she already told you about it, huh?" he sighed, resigned to his fate. She was Takeshi's daughter, all right.

"Huh?" Natsumi asked, confusion written across her face, "no, it was Toshio-kun that told me," she said honestly.

'My own son betrayed me?' he though disheartened.

"Michiko isn't like me at all when I was her age," a new voice added, startling Daichi, who was not paying attention to his surroundings, far too lost in thought.

"Pft, she's like a miniature you," Daichi said, dismissing Takeshi's claim.

While he admitted that Michiko had a far more pleasant attitude than the one Takeshi had possessed when they were younger —easily explained by the fact that she was raised by Natsumi and Ayaka both— the girl nonetheless reminded him of a younger Takeshi.

She was loud and outspoken — not bad qualities per se, but neither were they something she got from her mother. Even appearance wise, Michiko looked more like her father then Natsumi.

"Nah, I was an arrogant ass," Takeshi admitted somewhat sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Don't forget pompous as well," Natsumi added, not taking her eyes off her work even when her husband gave a dramatic groan.

"Fine, fine, I was an arrogant and pompous ass, until you set me straight. Is that better?" Takeshi asked, receiving an affirmative nod in response.

"Although in all honesty, Michiko…she is nothing like I was at her age. Or any age, for that matter."

In his youth, much like his self-description, Takeshi was an arrogant twit, who, while great at combat had a personality that left a lot to be desired. He rubbed his victories in anyone's face and took it very badly when he lost.

He was loud, obnoxious and overbearing. Enjoying the attention people would offer him.

It was only later when he met Natsumi and saw that his efforts at wooing her were for nothing that changes started to occur in the man.

Not because he fell in love with Natsumi, but rather because he was annoyed that she wasn't as easily impressionable as the other girls.

So he started with giving her flowers, being more polite around her, less overwhelming…only nothing worked and one day, for reasons Daichi was not privy of knowing, the two fought.

It grew from throwing insults at each other, to shouting and finally escalated into a fight.

Now losing wasn't a new concept for Takeshi. Only he never lost to anyone from their age group or below.

So Daichi supposed he could see why Takeshi's interest only grew after Natsumi swept the ground with him.

He started to genuinely court her, much to Natsumi's parent's mirth, and they eventually started dating before the fall of Uzushiogakure.

But even then, Takeshi hadn't really lost his arrogance.

It was tamed, but still very much present.

And now, more than a decade later, Daichi learnt that they were alive and even had a daughter to boot.

He still couldn't make up his mind about Michiko, the girl was a different kind of beast altogether.

She was a dreamer. Or an idealist might be a better term.

Michiko was loud, friendly, teasing, —poor Toshio— clearly built for frontline assault and almost constantly surrounded by those foxes. The children liked her but worst of all, she was an unknown.

An enigma.

The more Daichi learned about the girl, the more questions he had swimming in his mind.

The red-headed girl was constantly moving, never staying still for long, he noted. Even Chintsū was curious about the girl who his daughters spent ample amount of time hounding just to play with her hair.

More recently the girl seemed to be making travelling preparations.

"Where is she planing on going?" he asked Takeshi just two days ago, only to receive another shocking response.

"She's heading for Asahama," the man said casually.

"Asahama! The capital? Why?" he asked, completely taken aback.

Takeshi signed and fixated Daichi with a stare: "I know it sound preposterous… it is, really. But Michiko, she's serious about Uzushiogakure. It took us a long time to realise it ourselves and to be honest, I'm not one hundred precent sure what her plan is…I just know that Michiko is planning on going to the capital to speak with the Daimyō."

And he didn't even sound surprised when he said it.

Natsumi, who had been listening from a distance, chimed in. "I dreamt, so often that Uzushio wasn't destroyed. That we weren't all scattered across the world. Homeless nomads with no place to call our own…" she said softly, not meeting their gaze as the air between them grew solemn, "but I never, not for a single second, thought about rebuilding Uzushiogakure."

Daichi had never thought of rebuilding their old home either.

"I wept, cursed and complained. But never once did I think changing our outcome could be possible," she went on, her soft voice seemingly echoing around them.

"And here we are, almost seventeen years later, and my thirteen year old daughter did not only dream what I couldn't, but is trying to make it a reality."

The truth of her words was not lost on the two males. For they were able to understand exactly what Natsumi was trying to say.

They hadn't so much as dared to dream about the possibility of Uzushiogakure ever being more than another piece of history. Something that even time would forget.

Maybe that was why Daichi thought it such a ludicrous idea. He still thought it a fantasy. Unable, even now, to imagine it.

However that didn't seem to deter one young Uzumaki.

And at that table, the tree survivors of the fallen Uzushiogakure, hoped for the same thing.

The chance to see that dream come true.

* * *

 **A/N:... I don't know what this is. Word vomit at its finest born out of procrastination. I should seriously focus on my work but...this came out instead.**

 **I though it would be a good interlude also it offers some insight into Takeshi and Natsumi's background.**

 **No Michiko in this chapter, but she will feature in the next one as she travels to Asahama.**

 **Really, I don't even know if this makes sense, I mean it does to me but that doesn't say much, hopefully it wasn't too disappointing of a chapter.**

 **As always thank you for reading my story! It means a lot and you guys are so encouraging.**

 **Also a big shout for my guest reviewer 'From a fan' I have never blushed so much in a very long time. I hope this story lives up to yours and everyone else' expectations, I shall try my best.**

 **Answer time:**

 **Hellfire000: Oh I'm sure Kushina will be shocked once she finds out. There is no evidence —as far as I know— that point towards Kushina having been the Uzumaki clan heir. She was a temporary clan head while everyone was gathered in Konoha as she was the one who lived there the longest. So nope she isn't the actual clan head. There is no 'head' for the Uzumaki clan at the moment, what with them being scattered across the globe and all that . As such I don't think people would have necessary known Kushina by name, unless they knew about her special —what does that even mean Kishimoto?— chakra or the reason she was sent to Konoha. Likely the elders of the clan like Ayaka, who knew about Kushina. Damn such a long and convoluted answer. Did that make sense?**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you lovely readers ad see you in the next chapter!**


	21. Journey towards Asahama

**Beta: Thank you Prince Nemui for giving up your time to help me**

* * *

Michiko was currently sprawled on her back in a small clearing, enjoying the spring weather as Tsubaki lay curled next to her, dark red fur glistening in the sun. She was gently running a hand through his coat as she paid attention with only one ear to her surroundings.

Mitsuki was also present. The once tiny ball of golden fur was now a fully grown, six years old, fox —although still small, especially when compared to giants like Dendō.

Both Mitsuki and Tsubaki were the same height, barely reaching her knees. However, what they couldn't make up for in height they made up for with their talents. Tsubaki, who was trained in the traditional fox genjutsu was still a nightmare to train with, —vicious as ever with the genjutsu he subjected Michiko to— while Mitsuki was wicked fast, with extra sharp claws and teeth.

Which the girl herself helped maintain. After all, a gleaming denture and ultra-pointy claws were very important.

Currently, the trio was taking a break from running and were waiting patiently for Mitsuki to finish his conversation with the other fox pair. Not nin-foxes, just your regular run of the mill red foxes that were curios about the odd trio in the clearing.

The three were actually travelling towards Asahama, Uzu no Kuni's capital, seeking an audience with the daimyō to ask for support —and essentially permission, since he owned the country— in Uzushio's rebuilding.

However as nobody back at the ruins owned a map of the country, or had any clear directions for Michiko to follow before the girl left Uzushio, she planned on doing what she always did in such situations.

Rely on the local foxes.

No, the redhead did not speak fox. Although her lovely foxes were well versed and would politely ask the wild foxes were the nearest human settlement was. There Michiko would ask the local folk for more clear-cut directions.

"Michiko~," Mitsuki said, bouncing towards her, tail swishing happily.

"Guess what, guess what, guess what?!"

"Calm down brat," Tsubaki grunted, annoyed at having his peaceful slumber interrupted by the hyperactive fox.

"Mah, mah, be nice Tsubaki," Michiko chided gently, turning her head towards Mitsuki to show him that he had her attention:

"Right, right. So anyway, they said that several humans live down the river, where all the chickens are," he told them excitedly.

"Hmm, further down the river? Sounds like a village. Well what do you guys say, shall we set out now? Maybe we'll reach it before dusk."

Receiving an affirmative grunt from the russet fox and an exited bark from the golden one, the Uzumaki got up and smoothed out the wrinkles from her kimono.

It was sleeveless, made of cotton and excellent for the warm weather. Although, what Michiko liked about this kimono wasn't its bright, happy yellow colour —not something any self-respecting ninja would be caught dead wearing— but the red swirl pattern on the back of it.

It was a common symbol found in Konoha, —where Michiko had got it from— especially on their flat jackets.

It was Uzushiogakure's crest.

Which was also the Uzumaki clan's symbol.

Unlike Konoha's emblem, which did not belong to any clan, Uzushiogakure's crest came directly from the Uzumaki clan. The reason being that it was the Uzumaki clan which founded the village and made up the bulk of the village's militia all the way up to its destruction. (Hence why Uzushio was nicknamed the village of longevity)

Their clan used to be truly numerous, —like most clans tended to be during the Warring States period, and before— even more so than the Senju or Uchiha. All the more reason to mourn and wonder how such a clan were destroyed so easily.

Michiko wasn't a fool, she knew that the Uzumaki were, and are, only human. However, if they were so feared for their fūinjutsu, why were there so few of them left?

She knew for a fact that there were more Uzumaki alive and scattered about the world, however, there clearly weren't enough to say: "The Uzumaki live on."

There was also the matter of the village ruins. The walls themselves were intact, if in desperate need of renovation and maintenance, and showed no sign of being breached.

Even the destruction had mainly occurred in the centre of the village.

True, that area held the most important pieces of infrastructure needed to operate and govern said village….But one still had to get to the centre of the village in order to destroy it.

And as the teen pointed out several times in the past, regardless not being one of the big five, Uzushiogakure _was still_ a military village. A military village where most of its population hailed from a shinobi clan.

Nothing short of a small army could have taken them out so completely.

Even the mountain chain cutting through the south-west corner would have had some form of protection in place of the absence of walls and it would have certainly had outposts built in the area for the sole purpose of spotting enemies trying sneak in.

And no matter what her father believed, Michiko was sure that an army, small as it may have been, would have been spotted by the patrols. That clearly wasn't the case, as no fight had occurred in or near the still standing _old_ -forest.

It was almost as if a large scale summon had been called to the very centre, destroyed what had to be destroyed and then… disappeared.

Leaving no trace of who the attackers were.

And nobody proclaimed their victory either. Leaving the whole incident shrouded in even more mystery.

It grated on Michiko's nerves and it was one of the things she vowed to find out, even if it took her entire life. After all, who was to say that a repeat scenario wouldn't occur?

Shaking her head to clear it of such thoughts, the girl concentrated on getting the greenery out of her hair, while Tsubaki took his sweet time stretching beside her.

Taking out the last leaf from her hair, Michiko allowed her hair to fall down her back once again. It was braided in a single thick braid, going past her shoulder blades, making it ideal for grabbing had it not been for the makibishi carefully placed inside her hair with that very thought in mind.

As Michiko was nearing 'adulthood,' and puberty was showing its head, the girl had the pleasure of experiencing the wonders of hormonal changes within her body once again.

Note the heavy sarcasm.

Alas, however much she could have wished to skip this part of life entirely, Michiko appreciated looking more and more the age she felt mentally. Which wasn't a fixed age, per-se, more like a general awareness that her body hadn't quite caught up yet.

After all, she had a feeling that adding the years she'd lived in this world to the years from her previous life wasn't exactly the way things worked.

But her hair and height weren't the only visible differences puberty brought forth; her face having long since initiated the process of losing its baby fat. Making its oval shape more prominent which in turn caused her long and straight nose to no longer look as prominent as it did on her younger and rounder face.

As a whole, Michiko felt that didn't look all that different. More like a stretched-out version of her younger self.

"Let's go," Tsubaki's gruff voice ordered.

—.—.—.—

As promised by the foxes, further down the stream lay a village.

It wasn't anything grand but it was clean and well kept. The people looked happy and healthy, which was all Michiko really cared about as she made her way towards it, looking around, trying to spot anyone that she could bother for directions.

And maybe lodgings.

She really, _really,_ wanted a bath, but the girl was willing to compromise on that for a warm room to sleep in tonight.

It wasn't all that dark yet, the trio having arrived just as the sky was heading towards dusk, the heavens basked in a soft pink colour.

Making her way towards what appeared to be the village's centre, Michiko spotted a couple of shops that were still open which might contain someone with the geographical knowledge needed to give her further directions on how to reach Asahama.

The young redhead was, of course, aware of the stares and _whispers_.

Seriously, did they think she was deaf?

And she even saw an old lady point out her hair…and back.

'Hhhm, so they recognise my heritage…' she mused as she entered a bakery, which looked well on its way to closing for the night.

"Ah, pardon me," Michiko said by way of greeting, drawing the attention of the man behind the counter and watching in amusement as he did a double take.

Stopped, looked really hard, and then let out a surprised yelp.

"Darling is everything, alright?" a woman's voice asked as she descended the stairs that must have lead to their house above the shop.

The woman, much like her husband stopped and stared at Michiko for a good while, making her rather uncomfortable by this point.

The foxes, who never left her side during this journey, were watching the scene before them in exasperation and confusion respectively.

"Ano…," Michiko said, unable to take the awkward atmosphere anymore. And like a broken spell, the couple came back to their senses, finally taking note of their behaviour.

"Ah, our apologies miss, you took us by surprise," the man finally said as the woman made her way around the counter, standing by the man's side.

"How may we help you? I'm afraid we're almost completely out of bread."

"Ah, no, don't worry, that's fine. I was just hoping for some directions."

"Directions?" the woman asked, speaking for the first time.

"Yes, I am trying to find my way towards Asahama. If you could possibly help me…" Michiko trailed off, watching as the pair exchanged a look before the woman disappeared upstairs once more.

"That's a long way off, young lady. You travelling alone?" he asked.

"Ah, not alone, Mitsuki and Tsubaki are accompanying me," she explained, gesturing towards each fox respectively as she said their name.

The poor man looked even more befuddled than before but chose not to question her further on that topic.

"My wife's gone up to dig out a map…I'm sure we have one somewhere," he muttered, more to himself than Michiko.

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience I've caused you," she replied, bowing slightly.

"No bother young lady. Say, are you…?" the man trailed off awkwardly, giving a pointed look towards her hair. Getting the message, Michiko smiled before replying:

"My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Uzumaki Michiko, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Snapping out of his shock, the man closed his mouth, gulping loudly before introducing himself.

"Harada Jiro," he added hastily, still looking at Michiko with wide eyes. "I'm sorry… I don't mean to be…well, like this. It's just…an Uzumaki," he managed to breathe out.

"We, of course, heard of the fall more than a decade ago…everyone did. It was a tragedy, they said nobody survived. I haven't even heard rumours of survivors, well…not from the Uzumaki clan, that is." The look in his eyes resembled awe, and Michiko didn't know how to respond to that.

Never before had she received such a reaction in regards to her surname. Apprising looks? Sure, plenty even, their name was still rather well known. A double take? Yup, plenty of those too. But awe? Nope. Never. And she wasn't certain that she wanted a repeat, it was hard to accept.

It felt…uncomfortable.

Just before Michiko opened her mouth to reply, Mrs Harada descended the stars once again, a somewhat long piece of folded paper in her grasp.

"Found it," she announced cheerily, a proud smile displayed on her face.

From that moment onwards the couple proceeded to show Michiko where they were on the map and where Asahama was. Which, as Jiro mentioned, was a bit far. Shouldn't even take her more than half a day at ninja speed to reach it…if she was confident in her chose route. But as that was not the case she more or less stuck with the civilian pace.

Alas, thanking the couple for their time and help Michiko was also offered the map on top of everything, which they insisted was more use to her than them when she tried to refuse.

Bowing to the couple, the girl thanked them one last time before bidding them goodbye. The redhead and her foxes making a hasty retreat out of the village and camped deeper in the forest for the night.

'So no hot bath or warm bed tonight,' she thought dejectedly, speeding up in hopes of finding a suitable location to camp before night took over completely.

What Michiko didn't know was that after she left, the couple's shop was filled with people, all wondering the same thing:

"Was she…?" an old woman asked, looking at the Harada family expectantly.

"Yes," Jiro whispered. He knew that the girl felt uncomfortable and he honestly didn't mean to make her feel like that. But he couldn't help himself!

A large, collective intake of breath could be heard so he continued:

"She said her name was Uzumaki Michiko!"

Another thing Michiko didn't know was that in that very village lived several people who once upon a time lived in Uzushiogakure.

They weren't Uzumaki, nor were they shinobi.

They were civilian born and raised.

However, they were civilians born and raised within Uzushio's walls.

They were civilians that still remembered and associated the colour red as belonging to the rowdy and happy Uzumaki.

They were civilians, _who wept_ when they were forced to leave their homes. When they found out that the people who used to protect them were now dead.

They were civilians who, with their hears hurting, moved to a new village.

And amongst the people crammed inside the small bakery, only one voiced out what the rest of them were thinking:

"The Uzumaki are back."

* * *

 **A/N:** ** **Again thank you so, so much for reading and taking time to tell me your opinion about the story! I love you guys so much!****


	22. Asahama

**Beta: The lovely Prince Nemui**

* * *

Two weeks later, after much walking and getting lost —Michiko couldn't read a map to save her life— the redhead reached her destination; Uzu no Kuni's capital, Asahama.

The capital was, in one word, colourful.

Stalls of various sizes, colours, and decorations were displayed on both sides of the stone cobbled road. People, young and old, all but mobbed the streets; checking the stalls, negotiating a price or hurrying to some unknown destination, as Michiko watched in wonder.

Oh, how she loved places buzzing with people and life. Seeing them made her all the more determined to see the empty Uzushio like this one day. _Soon._

'This place is... _vibrating,_ ' Michiko thought, eagerly scanning her surroundings, looking at the stalls to see if anything caught her fancy.

People were laughing, shouting, crying or even dancing on the street. It felt a bit like a carnival, with all the colours and people scurrying about, each immersed in their own little world and not paying to others. They certainly didn't spare more than a passing glance towards the open-mouthed, girl walking slowly down the street with two foxes at her feet.

Or so Michiko thought.

It was true, most were too busy to pay her any attention, most that _did_ look, stared at Tsubaki and Mitsuki flanking her sides.

But the ones who did see Michiko, the ones who could piece the signs together, tracked the girl from the corner of their eyes.

Watched as the girl with the red hair carefully make her way through the crowd, stopping at this stall and that stall.

Nobody said anything, nobody treated her differently and nobody attempted to approach her.

However, _they knew_.

They knew, and many didn't know how to feel about the Uzumaki in their midsts.

"They live," a man said slowly, looking towards his friend and sharing a conspiratorial look.

—.—.—.—

Michiko left the market area, following the directions from one stall owner towards the hot springs district, hoping to find an opening at one of the inns.

After all, it wasn't like Michiko could go to the palace without taking a bath and getting into a change of clothes.

Humming to herself, Michiko and her summons made their way to the nearest inn, kinda expecting the odd look shot towards the kits.

Apologising to her boys, Michiko bid them goodbye and watched as they disappeared in a puff of smoke before the bewildered woman.

Smiling brightly at the woman, Michiko was awarded with an exasperated huff before the old woman called for someone to guide the girl to her room and told her how to find the hot springs.

"Did you see?" an employee whispered to another, having returned from showing Michiko to her room.

"Yes, there is no doubt, she was wearing the crest as well," the other replied.

"What are you two talking about?" another employee asked, seeing the two whisper back and forth.

"An Uzumaki!" the man exclaimed, before covering his mouth, realising how loud he was.

"An _Uzumaki_? Get off it, there's no way that's true; they were all killed," the woman rebuffed, not buying their story.

"It's true, I saw her too. She had the red hair, and the crest on her back! She's an Uzumaki I'm telling you."

"Quiet you lot, and get back to work. The girl is a guest and will be treated as such," the old woman ordered.

They bowed in apology before scattering to do their work.

However, once the employees had, left the woman couldn't help but heave a great sigh.

She could understand their curiosity.

The Uzumaki weren't an often discussed topic, especially not after Uzushio's destruction.

But they were never forgotten.

The clan used to be the pride of this country. It was no wonder that people remembered the rowdy clan that was always good company to have around.

Even if most of their members tended to be on the louder side of the spectrum.

'I wonder what brings the young one to the capital.'

The woman was old.

Old enough to have received Uzumaki in her ryokan previously.

"I feel the winds shifting," she muttered to herself, making her way to speak with her daughter and ensure that she knows to pay attention and ensure their young guest is treated right by the curious staff.

No need make a scene.

—.—.—.—

The day finally came.

Michiko spent the rest of the previous day and night enjoying the facilities present at the ryokan, while going over the possible ways her meeting with the Damiyō could go.

She wasn't afraid to admit that she was scared.

Not for her safety, since Michiko was pretty sure that should a fight break out, she could deal with it just fine.

No, what scared her was the thought of failing.

The girl wasn't stupid, she knew that her family back in Uzushio and Konoha didn't expect much. Not because they didn't have faith in Michiko, but purely on the basis that what she wanted to do was no simple and straightforward thing.

Rebuilding a village, —no matter how small— one that had been abandoned for so long, would take time. And funding. Not to mention man power and a ton of patience.

It was the main reason Michiko _wanted_ the Daimyō to be on her side.

Firstly, this country belonged to him. And _sure,_ hidden villages were theoretically on the same footing. However even a moron could tell you that if the royals didn't want you there, then there was a good chance that _you weren't_ _going_ to be there.

They had money and they had influence. Especially against a village that was essentially starting from rock bottom.

Ridding himself of them, if he thought them a pest, wouldn't be too hard.

So yes, Michiko was scared. A lot was riding on this meeting —which the Daimyō didn't even know was going to take place yet.

However, as if to ease her worries a bit, last night, the woman who checked her in, which Michiko learnt was the oo-okami*, came and delivered her dinner personally.

The old woman even stayed to talk a bit with Michiko:

"What brings you to Asahama, young Uzumaki?" the woman asked her directly, not beating around the bush with unnecessary conversation.

A straightforward woman, Michiko liked her.

So she admitted her intention of asking for a meeting with the daimyō, watching as the woman's eyes sharpened further.

"Do you wish to be one of the court girls?" she asked.

Michiko liked to think that her disbelieving expression was answer enough.

While hesitant in admitting her wish, Michiko didn't see any real harm in sharing. She liked talking to people, it calmed her down. Plus it wasn't exactly a secret. Just not something she went around shouting for all the world to hear.

The oo-okami's expression at the news was, of course, one of shock. However, instead of telling Michiko she was being silly, the woman straightened up further and eyed the girl in a new light.

She asked if she had appropriate attire for the meeting and offered to find her something if that was not the case. As it turned, out Michiko did indeed own a formal kimono —a gift from Kushina who bought it for her especially for this occasion— so the old woman offered her assistance in helping Michiko get ready.

Now _that_ was something she could easily accept.

Thus Michiko found herself fussed over by the oo-okami. The woman, after declaring Michiko was properly dressed, set her eyes on the girl's red hair.

 _That_ , was a pain.

The woman was prepared to fully unleash herself upon the girls hair, however Michiko wanted something far simpler than any of the traditional hairstyles.

Which led to a lengthy debate between the two.

In the end, they settled for a simple pony tail. The ryokan manager unbraided Michiko's hair and smoothed it out, before gathering it all in a high ponytail.

It wasn't fancy, but it made Michiko feel better and more like herself, rather than an ornate doll.

Makeup was also a big no go, much to the old woman's disappointment.

She did look adorable pouting.

Not an expression one would ever catch Ayaka making.

And with the woman's well wishes and her summons once again by her side —for moral support if nothing else— Michiko set for the palace. Ready to face whatever trials would await her.

* * *

 **A/N: *Oo-okami—The okami's role corresponds to that of a general manager in a Western hotel. In many cases, the okami is the owner of the ryokan or the wife of the owner, which means that the okami, as the representative of the ryokan, attends to all external affairs such as business matters and cooperation with the local community. The traditions of ryokans are often preserved by three generations together, namely the oo-okami (grand okami), the okami, and the waka-okami (young okami).In the majority of ryokans, the role of the okami is handed down from mother to daughter or to daughter-in-law. In either case, the younger generation studies under the older generation.**

 **Also I know things are a little slow right know and they _will_ pick up once she return to Uzushio and deals with some things. **

**However right now Michiko, has to deal with the reality of rebuilding a village and that includes a lot of politicking and administrative duty that I will not go into terrible detail when writing the next chapters. I mean it's not like she is fighting a bad guy every odd day. That's Naruto's job.**

 **Thank you so much for reading my story and being so patient with me and my story! It makes my day.**


	23. Daimyō

**Beta: Prince Nemui**

 **Minor edit: 03/01/17**

* * *

Michiko was told —ordered— to wait as the servant who had led her inside left to inform the daimō of her arrival and request. This left the red-headed girl to wait in the company of a silent samurai.

That had been _two hours_ ago.

Two painfully long, _boring_ hours with only a living statue as company, as she sat unmoving in a seiza.

'Thank Kami that obā-chan was such a sucker for tradition and formality,' she thought, grateful for the hours she was made to sit in the seiza position, especially while her grandmother —or mother— taught her fūinjutsu whilst growing up.

Siting itself wasn't hard, however sitting in this position for hours without moving could prove difficult once one's legs started to cramp.

Michiko sighed, wishing her summons were by her side so she could at least have someone to talk with— She'd tried with the samurai and he just kept staring at her.

Unfortunately, the _samurai_ were uncomfortable with her summons —who were so obviously not normal foxes— that they _demanded_ Michiko rid herself of them before being permitted to enter the castle.

After leaving the ryokan, Michiko attempted to walk as confidently as she could towards the castle, refusing to allow even a hint of apprehension or nervousness show on her face.

She took slow, deliberate steps the entire way, mindful of the kimono she was wearing and making sure that not even a hair was out of place.

Mostly because she refused to ruin Kushina's gift than actually giving a damn about what she looked like. Though appearing before the country's daimyō looking as though you have rolled in mud might not be the wisest of ideas either.

The furisode she was wearing was black, made out of silk with a wave motif depicted on the hem and cranes flying above the water, making their way down the swishing sleeves. The obi, on the other hand, was gold, tied in a complicated bow-like knot that Michiko had never seen worn before but that the old woman assured her was perfectly formal and was a style often worn with the type of kimono she was wearing.

It was beautiful and easily the most extravagant piece of clothing Michiko owned, and although she had gasped when the price was read.

Kushina, cared little about such a trivial matters and bought it anyway, after making sure that it fit Michiko well.

Oh, and it did.

The elegant kimono did wonders in making the girl's feature stand out, the simple design and dark colour, although beautiful, made one's eyes focus more on the girl's hair and eyes.

Which was the main reason —honestly, the woman was just enjoying herself at that point— why, despite the redhead's protests, the ryokan's manager painted her eyes with kohl. End of argument.

And despite looking like she might just belong in this setting, Michiko couldn't help but feel out of control in this whole situation.

Nonetheless, that was in the past, and right now the girl waited for another mind-numbing hour while staring at the shoji screens. Thinking that after all this time, if the old man decided he didn't want to see her, Michiko would throw away any pretence of being a lady and storm her way through the castle.

Consequences and stupid samurai be damned.

However, as if the Kami themselves had heard her threat, the shoji screen was pushed to the side and a servant called her name.

' _Finally_.'

—.—.—.—

Michiko followed the servant as they crossed the sannomaru and ninomaru, making their way to the honmaru, and couldn't help but admire the architecture and greenery that was so abundant between the defence walls.

It was hard to remember that she was annoyed when surrounded by such splendour, the gardens were all well kept. The streets were clean and buzzing with people moving each and every way. All the building structures were painted white with gleaming red curved roofs that shined in the noon sun, oddly enough reminding Michiko of Toshio's hair.

'Speaking of Toshio, I wonder what he's up to?'

—.—.—.—

Back in Uzushiogakure, Toshio sneezed, preventing him from blocking Takeshi's kick which sent him sprawling to the ground.

"You all right Toshio?" he asked, holding out a hand for the boy to take. Michiko's father had taken to training Toshio, as the boy had shown interest in developing his taijutsu.

And while Daichi sulked —a lot— when his son asked the other Uzumaki male for help, he couldn't really blame him. At least now he could focus more on Toshio's fūinjutsu training and help the twins.

That, plus he couldn't help but tease his son whenever he had his ass kicked by Takeshi.

 _Like father, like son._

—.—.—.—

The daimyō happened to be one of those people whose age was difficult to determine. The creases around his eyes and on his hands spoke of decades lived in this world.

However whether he was ten years older than Ayaka or twenty, Michiko couldn't tell.

After leaving the toko, Michiko was guided all the way into the castle keep and into a large room which hosted the Daimyō in the centre, with a row of samurai at the very back.

All of them locked their gaze upon Michiko from the moment she stepped foot in the room.

Bowing deeply, she waited until the servant was dismissed before straightening her back and locking eyes with the ruler of the country.

"Daimyō-sama," she addressed, waiting for some form of acknowledgement, discreetly mapping out the layout of the room.

"Hmm," the man hummed to himself, looking Michiko up and down, noting her features, but mostly looking at her eyes and hair.

It was a true exercise in control for Michiko to not twitch in annoyance and maintain eye contact with the man. She wasn't particularly keen on being overly submissive towards someone she didn't know. Even if they were the equivalent of the country's king.

"I was told that you have something for me, Uzumaki-san." The man said, his dark eyes unwavering as he stared at her.

'Well, at least he's not going to waste my time with pleasantries,' Michiko thought, reaching in the folds of her kimono to pull out the scroll from her grandmother before placing it on the floor between them.

She —tried— patiently waited for the man to finish reading it, and then to re-read it. His expression betraying nothing of what he was thinking before he rolling it up again.

"I am glad to know that your grandmother survived the purge which befell your clan," the man finally said, once again pinning Michiko in place with his stare.

'So obā-chan and the daimyō really do know each other,' she noted, somewhat expecting that after being told to deliver the scroll to the man. However, having it confirmed… just who was her grandmother?

"You have inherited her nose and cheeks," he continued, somehow managing to focus on Michiko even more than before, which was slightly disconcerting.

However, his assessment was true.

The only feature Michiko could easily point out as having inherited from Ayaka was indeed the nose they both shared. Her oval face, which was previously somewhat masked by her chubby cheeks, revealed high cheekbones. Her eyes, inherited from her grandfather, now fit better on her face and her lips were just a tad fuller than before, with her top being slightly bigger than her bottom. The last having inherited them from her other grandmother apparently.

"I believe it was a daughter that she birthed; shall I presume that your mother is also alive and well?" he asked.

"Yes, they are both doing well, daimyō-sama," Michiko replied easily, not revealing anything else about the other Uzumaki that were alive.

"Your grandmother wrote about your intentions, child," he told her, eyes slightly narrowing and Michiko was ashamed to admit that a shiver passed through her spine at the look.

'Damn it, I've faced scarier enemies! I even have Kurama sealed within me, and he's certainly not a ray of sunshine,' she thought, doing her best to not show the man how much he intimidated her.

It would be hard enough convincing him to take her seriously and look beyond her physical age as it was. Michiko really didn't need him thinking she was a coward too.

"An admirable wish. Tell me, how do you plan to achieve it?"

She was fully expecting him to tell her how foolish she was, how childish her wish was. Heck, she even expected to be dismissed, silly child that she was, and was wholly prepared for such a situation.

Arguments were poised on the tip of her tongue, ready to be used.

However, the man before her, dressed in robes of the deepest green embroiled in gold, was simply staring at her. Patiently waiting for her answer.

'He didn't say it was impossible,' she thought in slight wonderment.

Hoping beyond hope that this was an omen of good fortune, Michiko launched into the preprepared plan. It was rather rudimentary and there were a lot of variables that were out of her control. The most important one being that she would need to _convince_ people to move there once again and convince them that it was a good idea to reestablish a hidden village in Uzu no Kuni.

It began with reconstructing the infrastructure of the village, the primary reason why she needed funds so desperately, afterwards it was a matter of securing the village so that people were less inclined to believe that the tragedy which happened over a decade ago would repeat itself.

Michiko was already planning on speaking with the Hokage —at least after the first part of her plan came to fruition— and ask for a renewal of the old treaty between the two villages.

That is, after Michiko found out the _exact_ details of said treaty.

Before moving on to developing the education system, another point which lead to lengthy discussions between herself and her father.

While Michiko was hoping on re-establishing Uzushiogakure as a hidden village, so as to deter others from attempting to harm her family and others like them— the Uzumaki girl also spoke of a desire for a civilian school, not wanting to neglect the remaining children.

Such institutes weren't a novelty, such schools existed. Spread across the world in wealthier cities and capitals. However as most preferred home schooling, or didn't receive any education beyond what was taught to them by their family, schools for civilians were rare.

It was the primary reason for the low literacy rates among the people, especially those who lived in rural areas, where it was more important for one to know how to tend to the land than how to read or write.

Which was an absolute crime, in Michiko's opinion.

As just those two things could completely change your life. Reading was especially important in her perspective, especially when she realised how limited— compared to her previous world— reading materials were. It was no wonder why quite a few books were written by ninja, mostly retired, or scholars.

When the redhead finished talking she waited in trepidation for the daimyō to say something. Preferably positive, but after a while, the redhead honestly hoped that he would say _anything_.

It was a while before the old man deigned her with a response, seemingly content on making her stew a while longer. Eventually, he motioned to one of the samurai.

The one which came forward seemed to be a man in his early forties, with tan skin and light brown hair, who exited the room after the daimyō told him something in low tones.

It took some time —during which Michiko was growing more and more confused— before he returned, a servant woman following behind.

At which point the man's voice seemed to return to him, making the girl jump after such a long interlude of silence.

"Follow those two to your room and wait to be summoned," he dismissed her, motioning towards the samurai guard and female servant with his fan before leaving through a different door.

He didn't look back. Not even once.

Confused and somewhat bemused by this turn of events, Michiko turned dazed red eyes towards the man waiting for her by the door. Only to be given a somewhat reassuring smile and urged to hurry.

She was lead to a small house in the ninomaru before the samurai left, leaving Michiko alone with the female servant who was firing rapid questions towards the girl. Inquiring about everything from whether or not she was hungry, to the amounts of clothes she had with her, to whether or not she wanted to bathe in the hot springs, and if not now, when.

However, Michiko was still too befuddled from her meeting with the surprisingly imposing Daimyō to give anything more than superficial answers and the servant girl left with a promise to bring food later.

When she was finally alone Michiko striped out of the outer layer of her kimono, carefully folding it and placing the obi next to it before collapsing on the tatami mats in only her nagajuban, too tired to even mull over the events before she fell asleep.

* * *

 **A/N:Happy Leap Year!**

 **Thank you so much! really it still surprises me to find out that people enjoy this crackpot story I am writing. You guys are so lovely and I can't thank you enough for giving me and my story a chance.**

 **As always feel free to point out mistakes or inaccuracies; I really don't mind!**

 **toko*=Tokonoma or simply toko, is a built-in recessed space in a Japanese style reception room, in which items for artistic appreciation are displayed. (wiki) I would assume that in a castle there will be more than one of these rooms hence why I wrote a toko.**

 **If that is wrong do not hesitate to mention it.**

 **furisode*= Furisode means "swinging sleeves". This kind of kimono is easy to identify because of it's beautiful, long sleeves. It's the most formal kind of kimono for young, unmarried women, and is not worn by married women.**

 **sannomaru*, ninomaru*, honmaru*=The typical castle consisted of multiple rings of defence, with the so called honmaru ("main circle") in the centre followed by the ninomaru ("second circle") and sannomaru ("third circle"). The castle tower stood in the honmaru, while the lords usually lived at a more comfortable residence in the ninomaru.**

 **castle keep*=Tenshukaku**

 **Also known as donjon or castle keep, this is the innermost, best defended and most prominent structure of a castle. Most castle towers have between two to five stories, and there are often more floors inside than there are stories on the outside.**

 **nagajuban*= A kimono-shaped robe worn by both men and women beneath the main outer garment. Since silk kimono are delicate and difficult to clean, the _nagajuban_ helps to keep the outer kimono clean by preventing contact with the wearer's skin. Only the collar edge of the nagajuban shows from beneath the outer kimono.**


	24. Staying in Asahama

**Beta: Prince Nemui**  
 **New Edit: 23/12/16-02/01/17 (because I procrastinate like no tomorrow)**

* * *

A week passed and not even a whisper from the Daimyō regarding their previous meeting. To say that Michiko was surprised would be a lie, although irritation was certainly present in her disposition.

The third day of the week Michiko asked Kana —the servant girl that had shown her to her new lodgings— if she could find out or receive permission from the right person to have her summons present once again.

Kana, although confused, went and did just that, having managed to speak with the shōgun and was told that Michiko could summon her foxes and have them by her side so long as they did not disturb anyone else or cause any damage.

The poor girl barely managed to finish delivering the news before Michiko swiftly bit her thumb and summoned both Mitsuki and Tsubaki.

Or, at least, she had planned on summoning only those two. However, when the smoke cleared Dendō was also present.

Kana was momentarily forgotten, despite her small scream, once Tsubaki and Dendō jumped on Michiko. Needless to say, they were not impressed with how long it had taken her to summon them.

Mitsuki was the only one who seemed to realise the presence of the other human in the room and trotted towards the wide-eyed girl, proceeding to roll on his back and demand she pays him attention.

—.—.—.—

By the end of the week Michiko was growing restless from not doing anything, so she went and tracked down a samurai, inquiring about a training ground that she might use.

As it turned out, watching a pre-teen fighting foxes who could talk was not a common occurrence. Quite a few people came to watch, not interrupting, as Michiko was forced to twist and bend every which way in order to avoid being hit by Mitsuki.

It was a bit harder for them to understand what happened when Tsubaki was using genjutsu on Michiko, since the distortion in reality could only be viewed by the pair.

Throughout her stay at the castle, even the samurai would come to watch her every now and then. And once Michiko brought out her guan dao…some were more eager to test their blades against the girl.

The female samurai especially were particularly pleased to have something to do other than tending to the house and children. A couple even offered to help Michiko further refine her technique with her chosen weapon.

After all, their husbands and brothers might prefer swords, daggers, bows and arrows, but most of the female warriors were well versed in using the nagitana.

And even though the redhead had to change her training schedule a couple of times while she lived at the castle to accommodate everything else she had to do, the women were amenable to whatever time she had to spare for them.

—.—.—.—

The second week was a bit different. Michiko was found by Kana at the training ground and was told to go bathe and change.

Thinking initially that this had to do with the daimyō, Michiko was rushing to get ready, only to grow more confused once Kana told her that it was not the old man she would be meeting with.

Dressed in casual clothing, the redhead was escorted to a large room with shelves filled with scrolls and books. In the middle, a man dressed in dark robes was sitting, drinking tea before a low rise table. Confused, but not without manners, she gave a short bow to the man, greeting him and sitting down before him.

As it turned out the man was to be one of her tutors for the duration of her stay at the castle.

Things started to piece together in Michiko's mind, although without solid confirmation she could only theorise what this could mean. This situation also led to several more questions that she didn't voice.

For now, she decided to listen and learn from Kujomaru-sensei, who was assigned as her history tutor. They spent four hours together, where they went over [large] a portion of Uzu no Kuni's history.

For all that he claimed this to merely be basic information that most just naturally learnt growing up, Michiko was exposed to quite a lot of information which she previously knew nothing off.

In particular that regarding the eight noble clans of Uzu which explained more than she thought it would.

Before the hidden villages were formed, Uzu, like may other countries, was plagued by warfare more often than not. However as an island, most of the battles started and fought were purely internal and had a lot to do with various clans trying to assert their power and dominance over one another.

Hence the eight noble clans. The current daimyō's clan, the Asakura, were one of them and have been in power for some several hundred generations. It was truly an astonishing feat which the girl suspected had to do with the clan's seemingly close connection to her very own. If the daimyō's —whose name, she learnt, was Temmu— family line was to be trusted and all the Uzumaki found in it had willing married in.

Nonetheless, one of the past daimyō had successfully made an alliance with seven other clans. The Uzumaki, Taira, Hashiba, Kikkawa, Ōkochi, Chiba and Hata. Together they managed to squash the opposition and give the country some semblance of stability. It was after this that Uzu was renamed to what it is called today, an acknowledgement towards the Uzumaki who contributed the most towards the war effort. (Unsurprisingly as they produced the largest number of shinobi)

In order to avoid further conflict, the country's land was distributed amongst the clans to look after and enforce the rules set by the daimyō.

Later, during the era of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, the capital city of the Uzumaki province was converted into a hidden village and opened its gates to a wider variety of people.

However, after the destruction of Uzushiogakure and the subsequent disbandment of the Uzumaki clan, the land was given to the Inaba clan which is now currently considered one of the eight noble clans. A formality, for it was easily the youngest of the eight and had only become prosperous in the past dozen or so generations.

After that mind-boggling chunk of information, Kujomaru-sensei when on briefly discussing more recent events. Such as the alliance with Ocha no Kuni before he dismissed her, telling her that they would meet in two days at the same time for more tutoring.

Poor Michiko didn't get enough time to sort through the information she had just acquired before another man entered the room.

He introduced himself as Asaji-sensi and, unlike Kujomaru-sensei, he was far stricter and less patient. Which was a horrible combination, especially when he was supposed to be teaching her politics.

"I'm so dead," she whimpered when the man went to strike her over the head with a scroll once again.

That was not to say the information acquired was not fascinating. It was. Michiko was simply too numb to fully process it. Especially when her tutor was determined to give her a concussion on top of everything.

Hence why three hours later Michiko felt like crying when she was told that she would have to meet one more tutor for the day and that she would be meeting with Asaji-sensei every other day to continue their lessons.

However, someone up in the heavens must have taken pity on Michiko because the next teacher to receive her was a middle-aged woman, dressed in a beautiful kimono with her hair done up in an elaborate up-do, with a stunning gold hair comb pinned in.

She was polite and elegant, and Michiko couldn't take her eyes off her. Although that might have something to do with the fact that if she didn't pay attention to everything she did, Michiko was unable to 'decently' copy her, and, like Asaji-sensei, Fujinoma-sensei did not tolerate incompetence.

'Seriously, is this place full of strict people or is it just my luck that I seem to run into them one after another?'

Two hours later, Michiko was done for the day and Fujinuma-sensei declared that she would come by later to see what clothes Michiko owned because as far as she was concerned in order to be a proper lady you had to also _look_ like one.

And thus Michiko ended up spending every day much in the same fashion. With training early in the morning and then lessons for the rest of the day.

Of course, there were other teachers that she meet throughout the week: Takahona-sensei, who kept giving her funny looks as they discussed the current economic situation Uzu was facing, was, you guessed it, teaching her about economics; Rungoku-sensei, who was tutoring her in mathematics; and Minomaru-sensei, who was probably the most easy going of the bunch and taught her literature. Poetry, particularly.

Halfway through the second month, Michiko finally received a summons from the daimyō. Kana, who must have been assigned as her personal aide, prepared a lavender kimono for Michiko to wear after her bath.

It was not a kimono that she had owned when coming to the capital. Apparently Fujinuma-sensei was a heartbeat away from fainting once she saw what Michiko owned (or, rather, what she _didn't_ ). Thus, after barking some orders at Kana, the blonde woman physically dragged Michiko out shopping.

'Seriously, where did the elegance go?'

And that was how Michiko was now the owner of far too many kimonos, most which the girl was convinced that she would never wear. Certainly not before outgrowing them.

Dressed and ready to go, Michiko followed Kana, as she lead the redhead to the room where her first meeting had taken place.

And, just like the first time Michiko was there, the daimyō and a couple of samurai were already waiting inside. Going through the appropriate etiquette, Fujinuma-sensei's voice ringing in her mind, Michiko straightened her back and looked the man in the eyes.

They discussed the particularities of what it would mean for him to offer her aid in restoring Uzushiogakure, and what he expected in exchange, while Michiko tried her best to hold at bay the elation she felt at learning that he would help.

As previously stated, the Uzumaki clan who founded Uzushiogakure was once one of the eight noble clans of Uzu's. However its land was annexed by the Inaba clan after the destruction of the hidden village and the massacre that had befallen the Uzumaki.

Meaning the daimyō, for all his power and political sway, couldn't just hand her the land back. (Or he could but that would start an undue political shit-storm and risked the stability of the entire country; especially once the other major clans got involved)

On a map he detailed locations throughout the country previously under the power of Uzushio's leader, including some land on the nearby islands. Likely where outposts had been located.

What this meant was that if Michiko wanted to rebuild Uzushiogakure, then she needed to gain approval not only from the daimyō but the Inabe clan, as well as the other ones should she wish power over the location of the various outposts previously set in place throughout the country.

The redhead was slowly starting to realise why people thought her naivé. She was. Even if she knew it wouldn't be easy…Michiko hadn't quite thought the very basic of things, i.e. gaining land authority, would be harder than receiving Temmu's approval.

It wouldn't be quite that simple. Even with the daimyō seemingly on her side. There was only so much he could push the other clans into accepting before things went too far.

—.—.—.—

It has been four months since Michiko arrived at the castle, and there had been no signs of her leaving any time soon. There was still a lot of paperwork to be sorted, and details to be decided upon, however, the daimyō seemed to have gone into another one of his silent periods.

Thus Michiko filled her time with studying and training, trying to soak in as much information as she could before leaving. Till one evening, where Minomaru-sensei caught a cold and was unable to teach her.

So sitting on the tatami mats of her room, Michiko was staring at the scroll in her hands. A scroll she had put off dealing with from before leaving Uzushiogakure.

Cursing herself for doing so, the girl carefully unfurled the scroll Kushina gave her all those months ago before she had left Konoha.

It had several items sealed within it. Most being older scrolls filled with sealing arrays, arranged in unfamiliar patterns, and diagrams depicting the usage of the seals.

The notebooks inside were similar, filled with ink and pencil.

But the information within the three notebooks was more detailed. Page after page filled with seals and annotations. Breaking apart the seals presented in the older scrolls, explain their purpose better, showing why each seal was combined with another. Small scribbles were written on the sides and corners of the pages, theories, discoveries, opinions and facts.

All written in Minato's hand.

Michiko cried the first time she opened the scroll and went over its contents before she realised what she was holding in her hands.

The second time the redhead braved to open it was not any better, her hands were shaking so badly and her mind was still foggy with grief that she couldn't concentrate.

Kushina had given her Minato's notes on the Hiraishin no Jutsu.

—.—.—.—.—

Months rolled by and summer was slowly making was for autumn. For the past two months, Michiko's schedule has been reshuffled often and her training time cut down in preparation for the yearly party hosted by the daimyō. Which this year was set to fall on October the third.

Many prominent members of the country were invited, including the head of each of the eight noble clans and the daimyō of various other countries from both the western and eastern continents.

Asaji-sensei and Fujinuma-sensei were the two Michiko had spent most time with recently. The two drilling seemingly more and more information in her head that suspiciously sounded like trivia they pulled out of thin air.

Either way, the redhead was aware of how important the following even was going to be. Especially if she wanted Uzushio to be more than a nice dream. Thus grateful for their constant nagging.

The previous week she had her third meeting with the daimyō where he not only informed her that she was going to be attending the party, but that she will be present at the meeting of the eight clan head. Meeting where she was expected to charm the heads into accepting to hand over land power back to her. If only enough for her village to be [legally] rebuilt.

" _No_ ," Fujinuma-sensei hissed, exasperation clearly audible. "You are trying to walk! Not sway from side to side like a whale!" Did whales even sway? Michiko knew they certainly didn't have to wear pokkuri.

Also did you know you had to be simultaneously able to assert your dominance while also being submissive enough so as to not be seen as rude? How were those two concepts not mutually exclusive was something Michiko was being made to learn. Painfully if needed be.

Oh, and her hair had never been glossier nor her skin so smooth. There was, admittedly, something to be said about the lengths some women went to in order to achieve and maintain such results and something her etiquette teacher was keen on imparting upon her country-bred student who "clearly never heard of conditioner before."

—.—.—.—

She had moved on to the history of the far western nations, which, although not often in contact with Uzu, were not to be ignored.

"One's past will always define them, even at a national level and something as minuscule as who said what could prove to be a great advantage if you only know how to use it."

Takahona-sensei had gotten used to her enough that she didn't keep getting the 'I don't know what to do with you' looks from him and Minomaru-sensei, whom she saw less often, had the brilliant idea of a combined lesson. Seeing as Michiko wasn't his only student and most people were busy with the upcoming event so finding time to individually teach everyone was proving difficult.

And that was the story of how Michiko was introduced to the grandson of the daimyō, Karu, as well as all the other clan children her age.

Children who found analysing her more interesting that the difference between chōka and tanka.

—.—.—.—

This was it, the moment of truth. Or, well, pretty darn close to it. It was the night before the official 'party' and guest have been slowly trickling through the entire week. Tomorrow the final guest were expected to arrive and the first formal dinner will be held.

However what truly interested Michiko occurred before the dinner. While it was true guest were still making their way, the Uzu clan heads were already gathered and _their_ meeting will occur tomorrow afternoon. Meeting the redhead will be attending.

The girl was really tempted to go outside and blow off some steam but that would not be a wise idea with how things were at the moment so she was left to fidget inside her lodging with Mitsuki keeping her company and trying to ease her worries.

"I'm scared," she murmured in his golden fur as she gathered him in her arms and cradled him to her chest.

—.—.—.—

Kana had been with Michiko the entire morning. Having brought over both their breakfasts and eaten with the redhead before ordering her into the bath to soak before rubbing perfumed oil into every crevice of her skin.

It was easily one of the most humiliating moments of her life and the other female had zero sympathy.

She the proceeded to turn her attention towards Michiko's hair which she gathered together at the crown of her head with a small portion of the created bun sectioned off to point outward in a take-shimada fashion. And Kana had a selection of seasonally appropriate kanzashi were waiting to be added after she was done dressing the girl.

She was gifted with a lovely purple frisode bearing her clan's crest in five locations (two on the front and there on the back) so it suited the formal setting she was about to step into.

It was defiantly beautiful, though less decorated than others of its kind which gave it a more serious air despite its youthfulness. A trail of dyed white and black flowers made their way up the kimono, with a heavy emphasis on the right hand side and it was coupled with a gold obi.

Finally Kana set to putting the finishing touches to her hair by adding a few ornaments: an akadam on the left side of her bun, a gold kushi and a silver ogi kanzashi. her eyes were once again accentuated by kohl and her lips given a dab of gloss and before Michiko realised it she had better get moving or she would be late.

She put on her pokkuri, which were black and lacquered with red straps and was about to exit ,making her way to the caste after bidding goodbye to Kana and Mitsuki only to quite literally run into Karu as she opened her door.

Kana almost instantly exclaimed the young prince's name before falling into a proper bow while Michiko looked bemusedly at the fidgeting boy.

"Grandfather had told me to escort you Michiko-san…if you would," and here he helplessly to his arm and turned a bit pink around the ears. His shortish, brown hair was just long enough to tie at the back in a tiny ponytail. He wore deep purple sashinuki, with a red akome, over which he had grabbed on an orange, patterned kariginu tied by an ate-obi of a slightly lighter shade.

To top off the look he wore a black eboshi and asagutsu on his feet.

All in all, he looked a bit over the top but hey, they were at the palace and it was a party they were heading to.

Taking pity on him the girl followed his request without fanfare and loosely placed her hand on the crook of his elbow and let herself be escorted to the meeting room in silence.

There he spoke with on of the attendants, seeming to arrive to some accord before finally dressing her again:

"I must take my leave now, grandfather will call for you when it is the time for you to enter," and here, he seemed to hesitate, even fidget a bit before drawing courage and facing her properly:

"Don't let them push you around. Your clan might have suffered greatly and lost much of its status but you are _an Uzumaki_. That _still_ means something. It's why grandfather even bothered receiving you the first time as well…Fight for your wish Michiko-san and _do not_ , no matter what, appear intimidated by them. Show _no weakness_ before these men if you want to be taken seriously," and in a show of camaraderie the girl had not expected from the prince he grasped her hands and gave her a reassuring squeeze, smiling briefly before exiting.

Blinking owlishly at the spot previously occupied by the boy Michiko attempted to process the information for a while before smiling, finally noticing she did feel better. 'Heh, if anyone ever said the prince was ignorant they hadn't looked in a mirror recently,' she thought, smirking to herself.

Straightening her back she calmly took a seat on the floor, legs and kimono perfectly arranged behind her, the picture of serenity.

She was going to do this.

—.—.—.—

Inside the meeting room proper the daimyō was already seated at the head of the semicircle, casually surveying the assembled men, that for better or worse, he knew very well.

'Ah today's meeting was certainly will certainly prove interesting.'

Pleasantries were exchanged between eight, inquiring about things such as family and the state of affairs in each other's land and "my wasn't the young prince growing up in a fine man?"

The pretence of it all was cut by the Taira clan head, Masamori.

"Tell us daimyō-sama, I have heard most extraordinary rumours recently," the raven haired man probed. Blue eyes affixed upon their ruler.

"Oh, and what do these rumours say Masamori?" the old man inquired, face partially hidden behind his folding fan to hide a smirk.

The others had paused their conversations and were paying extra attention to the discussion at hand. Masamori gave his lord a contemplative look, a glint in his eyes as he said:

"Is it true my lord, is it true the Uzumaki have made a reappearance in our country once again?" the man pressed.

As expected his claim was meet by surprise from those who had not kept a close enough eye on the capital, thus not hearing about the young Uzumaki in his care.

"The Uzumaki clan!" Motoaga Kikkawa, exclaimed his surprise, a hint of awe in his voice.

"I admit to having been curious about that as well my lord," the Ōkochi head, Yoshimitsu admitted.

"That's impossible, the Uzumaki have been destroyed," the old head of the Inaba clan, Kōnin, groused out.

"Do not be like that Kōnin-dono, forget not that the clan was very important to Uzu," Hata Yuzuki chided, sending a smirk towards the older male.

"It would be a wonderful thing to have the clan return to us," Motoaga continued, not oblivious to the continual rising irritation of the old Inaba head. Nor was he oblivious to the rudeness they were displaying towards the man.

"Now, now, do let's not jump to conclusions," the continual voice of reason, Hashiba Hideyoshi attempted to appease the group.

"It is still exciting news Hideyoshi-dono. You cannot deny that," Chiba Tsunetane commented, a wide grin on his face.

Everyone in the room, with the exception of the Inaba clan, had some form of Uzumaki relative in their family tree, whether distantly or not made no difference. To the majority, the destruction of Uzushiogakure meant more than the loss of their hidden village and the connections it brought. It meant the loss of friends and family.

"Where were they when Uzu needed them?" Kōnin argued. "They left a mess behind and didn't even so much as apologised for making us clean up after them," he snapped.

"Kōnin-dono!" the voices of the Taira and Hata clan heads resounded angrily.

"You couldn't have expected for them to simply reemerge, who knows how many even survived and what came of them. You should be happy their bloodline is not lost forever," Hideyoshi berated and before more arguments could be thrown about the daimyō finally decided to retake control of the room:

"Enough of this foolishness! Calm yourself Kōnin, for the clan has no intention of retaking the land which once belonged to them," Temmu told him, pinning the Inaba clan head with an icy stare that prevented him from uttering anything in reply.

"Yes, it is true, I have been hosting a young Uzumaki for some time after they came to me with a most interesting proposition," he told the assembled men.

"An interesting proposition my lord?" Tsunenate asked, eyes narrowed in thought.

"They make no claim at their old position. However, they do request back the land with once belonged to Uzushiogakure and aid in its rebuilding," his voice echoed in the room, bring the action to a stalemate.

The shock was palpable and quiet reigned for a few moments. It was only the daimyō and his personal samurai that showed no change in disposition.

"Daimyō-sama," Yoshimitsu began carefully, "it brings joy to my heart to learn there are those who survived the purge…but, to reinstate Uzushiogakure. Our country is still reeling from the consequences of its destruction—"

"I am quite aware of that. If you recall, even the capital had been attacked after its destruction. Its loss…has left the country's defence lacking. It did not help that we find ourselves close to three out of the five elemental countries and have just barely survived the third war. Should another break out anytime soon I have no doubt that we might not be so lucky. I think it wise to at least listen to what they have to say if nothing else. Would you not agree Yashimitsu?" Temmu singled out the man who bowed his head in deference.

Surveying the group before him for a moment longer he waved for one of the samurai:

"Bring her inside," he ordered and returned to patiently waiting. Finally reaching for the tea before him.

—.—.—.—

Michiko turned her head towards the samurai that entered the room from one of the side panels behind which she could hear the meeting taking place.

'Honestly, anyone could just listen in.'

She nodded her understanding and got up to her feet, taking slow and deliberate steps towards the room. The samurai stepped aside, permitting her to enter and Michiko made an effort to not change her expression when she was greeted by several sets of eyes.

She walked with her back straight towards the daimyō to whom she bowed before resting on his right as previously instructed by the man himself.

Nobody said anything for a while, waiting for someone else to break the ice as they all surveyed one another.

Well, the men analysed Michiko while she analysed them.

" _She's a child_ ," The Inaba clan head hissed, angry black eyes narrowed upon the sole female in the room.

"Indeed I am, Kōnin-dono," Michiko acknowledged, a smile plastered on her face. It was a bit brazen of her to address him by the '-dono' honorific since he certainly did not see, or acknowledge, her as his equal. (A small part of her also hoped she got the name right and did not mislabel the voice.)

"You presumptuous chit!" he nearly howled, moving from his position slightly and putting the samurai on edge.

'Do not let them intimidate you,' Karu's voice rang through her mind as she meet the old man's glare head on.

"Am I?" she questioned lightly, tilting her head just a fraction so her red eyes bore into his better. Michiko knew the daimyō was keeping quiet along with the others to see how she handled herself.

They were assessing her.

"If my memory is not misleading me, my clan was once part of this very group. Long before yours even settled in this country Kōnin-dono. I believe my ancestors at least granted me the ability to use such a honorific; if we are to measure our worth based on the actions of our predecessors that is. Would you not agree?" she told the old man, face still neutrally happy.

And whatever it was the Inaba clan was going to say was swallowed by the boisterous laughter of the Chiba clan head.

"You speak well for one so young Uzumaki…" purposefully trailing off at the end so she might fill in the blank for him.

"Michiko," she replied simply, not entirely certain on who he was from the voice alone. Although the crest of his family was telling enough.

"Michiko-dono then," he finished with a satisfied nod and she gave one of her own in acknowledgement and gratitude for his acceptance.

"Our Lord has told us about a rather interesting request that you have Michiko-dono. However you must be aware, that for all we are happy to hear good news about your clan we can't merely base our decisions on feelings alone. The country is in a delicate position and it is our duty to not neglect that," Masamori stated, blue eyes clashing with red.

"It is not my wish to cause the country any more instability—"

"Then why are you even here?" Kōnin interrupted, receiving more than one unimpressed look for his trouble.

At this Michiko allowed a moment to pass in silence before carrying on.

"Why do you think I wish to rebuild Uzushiogakure?" the question wasn't dressed to anyone in particular. However, the way Michiko focused on the Inaba clan head was telling enough.

"A brat looking for lost glory who knows nothing of what this country had to go through because of the mishap of your clan," he sneered and Michiko might be a tad ashamed that she lost control. Just a tiny bit.

The smile fell from her face, her expression grew unbelievably cold and a small fraction of killing intent filled the atmosphere and intertwined with her words:

"I know nothing of this glory my clan used to possess beyond the snippets I have heard from people. My family does not enjoy speaking of the past and all I saw of the current Uzushiogakure are ruins left to rot…You didn't even go see it did you…Did any of you? You claim happiness at learning of the continual survival of the Uzumaki but didn't so much as bother burning the remains of the dead." Her voice was bitting; and for all that her tonality did not fluctuate, the anger was there. If even a semblance of remorse passed through the nobles' expression Michiko missed it. Too focused on glaring a hole through the Inaba clan head.

"Whatever noble status the Uzumaki had once possessed had long since been shattered Kōnin-dono. Those of us that _have_ survived did so by _hiding_ , _stealing_ , _lying_ …if they were amongst the lucky not captured," she carried on. "Yet, for all of that, _you still fear my clan_. Why else would you be so defensive and snappish when your age alone should have taught you how to better keep in check your emotions," she called out. Satisfaction coursing through her veins at the way his body froze at the accusation and his pupil dilated.

"I _decided_ on rebuilding Uzushiogakure not because I have nothing better to do with my life Kōnin-dono. I did so because I wasn't even seven when I nearly lost the only family I knew. All because of the Uzumaki blood which flows through our veins. All because clan blood is something both coveted and despited by the shinobi world," she carried on.

"One cannot change their past. But you can choose how to live their lives and I have no intention of living in hiding or accepting the state my kinsmen find themselves in. I refuse to bow down to the whims of the shinobi nations. _That_ is why I have decided back then that I will rebuild the village of my ancestors,"

And wasn't that something to give pause to the noble before her as they digested her words. The redhead was unfortunately too absorbed with the task at hand so she failed to notice the approving looks she received from the present samurai.

For shinobi and samurai might not have gotten along historically, but dedication and loyalty to one's kin was something the latter could emphasise with.

"If I may Michiko-dono, and please don't misunderstand, but I don't believe there are that many Uzumaki left. Would it not be easier to relocate in Konohagakure? It is a known fact that the Senju of Konoha and the Uzumaki are distantly related and had always been close. And Konoha did mourn the loss of Uzushio. I don't believe they would turn you away," Motoaga asked.

"It's true Konoha would not turn the Uzumaki away, I have just recently been in the village and even have blood relatives there. However…I am not the kind to forget Motoaga-dono. And Konoha was the one who betrayed Uzushio and Uzu in its time of need. That, intentional or not, is not something I am inclined to ignore and sweep under the rug," Michiko responded, her eyes seeming to shine in the dimming room.

"Hmm, but a hidden village can still pose a problem for the country. Uzushiogakure has history. History I am not inclined to believe the other villages will not forget and I fear they wouldn't be too keen on allowing such a threat to arise again," Hideyoshi commented, green eyes calmly surveying the girl.

"The hidden villages are in no rush to starting another conflict anytime soon. They are too weary from the previous war and need time to recover," she said.

"It's not like they would need to send in an army to destroy an upstart village. Especially after they learn a helpless brat is at its head," Kōnin muttered, arms crossed before his chest.

"No. They wouldn't. However, for all that Konoha failed last time, I'm certain they wouldn't take another attack on Uzushio lightly. After all…they are now doubly indebted to it," she told them a glint in her eyes that piqued everyone's curiosity.

"What trust can you place in a village who can't even control its bijū?" Kōnin continued and frowned in confusion at the answering smirk Michiko gave him. And with a quick apology towards Kurama and Minato she started:

"It is _because_ they are incapable of controlling their bijū that Konoha is once again indebted to Uzushio. Though I suppose it would be more accurate to say they are indebted to me," she said calmly and even the daimyō, if you knew how to read him, was curious about the turn in the conversation.

"I was there the night the Kyūbi was unleashed. _I_ was the one to chain it —him— down till the Yondaime Hokage could come and deal with it. —him— And while I will certainly agree with anyone who claims I lack experience. _I will not_ be called helpless. I was, after all, raised by shinobi during the previous war and spilt blood before I even turned seven." All of this was said in, if not quite a cheerful manner, a satisfied one certainly.

It was a pity that the lords' fans hid parts of their faces and thus full expressions. Although, one needn't see their smile to discern their mood.

One could truly count on the Uzumaki to make things more interesting.

—.—.—.—

The meeting lasted hours. And it was still ongoing. Other things needed to be discussed in addition to the bombshell she put forward…which was admittedly not resolved despite Hideyoshi's sensible proposition to postpone the discussion till everything else was dealt with in order to give everyone some time to mull over it.

Things like how the crop year was looking and what new trade deals have been made by the various clans were dealt with first and the girl had to admit it was actually rather interesting.

It turned out that Uzu could only use thirty percent of its land for farming purposes so farming was actually the job to have. Very encouraged and all of the eight clans were tasked with looking over the farm land in their prefectures.

Finding things like this interesting must say a lot about the kind of person she was.

Nevertheless, after the Ōkochi clan complained about fishermen from Mizu no Kuni encroaching on their territory (because a large coral reef barrier lay between Mizu no Kuni and Uzu no Kuni extending all the way into the Kaizoku sea) they all took a break to enjoy the freshly poured tea and the selection of wagashi they could enjoy.

Conversation during this time remained light and revolved mainly around pleasantries regarding each other's families and the party only hours away.

Once that was done and the dishes were cleared, Motoaga was the first to break the silence:

"I approve of Michiko-dono's request and will lend my assistance. However, I expect the old pact between our clans to be reinstated and for you to do everything in our power to aid Uzu no kuni," he declared, expression grave as he looked Michiko in the eyes.

Suppressing the hope and excitement from showing on her face the young girl gave a deep nod and added:

"Of course Motoaga-dono, though I will expect to learn more of the details pertaining to this pact before truly agreeing to it."

An accepting nod was her answer.

The Taira clan was next:  
"I expect Uzushio to immediately send aid when requested once things are up ad running. The shinobi of Benishu Island _have_ been more than irritating as of late," he said, nose scrunching in distaste as he got lost in recollections.

"The Uzumaki were dear friends to my clan, and it is true that our actions after the purge…did not reflect this…I apologise and swear on the Chiba name to lend our full assistance in the future.

"I am still uncertain on how this will affect our country. Although ignoring the benefits it could bring would also be foolish. I shall give my assistance— _however_ , do not think me won over Michiko-san. I wish to see the result of your resolve. _Do not fail_ ," The Hashiba head said, old green eyes pinning the girl in place and briefly reminding her of the daimyō at her side.

The girl indicated her agreement by a short bow.

"I shall bring this to my advisors but…I do believe there will be an issue in the Hata offering Uzushio our assistance."

"I also expect to see results but the Ōkochi will also lend their assistance," Yoshimitsu finally added. Leaving only Kōnin to have yet verbalised a decision.

Which was most worrisome if one thought about it. Since it was on their land that Uzushio was situated and for all that the old man hadn't been a ray of sunshine his approval was one of the most important ones the redhead needed to receive.

And they must have taken full advantage of this fact because he took his time in answering despite the pinning looks he was receiving from all those present.

"The Inaba will hand over the land need to rebuild the village…Do not think I approve of this, or you girl. But I know when I am outnumbered," Kōnin scrawled as he glared at Michiko. Who, for her part was finding it difficult at this point to hold her tears at bay. Instead she bowed low before the clan heads. For the first time truly deferring to them as she thanked them from the bottom of her heart.

—.—.—.—.—

It was done. _It was done._

Nearly anyway.

All the clan heads all gave their permission even if Kōnin needed some [bulling] persuasion.

It was now a matter of quite literally sealing the deal and every head which left the meeting room to mingle with the other guests and make preparations for an extended stay in the capital.

Michiko was the last one in the room with the daimyō, head still spinning from everything that just occurred. Alas, she still had enough to bow down before her lord and make for a hasty retreat as the old man chose to take his time.

Exiting into the main corridor leading to what one could call the 'ballroom' Michiko's senses were bombarded by a sudden increase in noise and colours. Still reeling from the meeting she barely noticed, and not decked in the face, the princeling making his way toward her at a hurried pace, grabbing her elbow when he got close enough.

"Michiko-san," he sounded a bit breathless, "how did it go?" he asked, blue eyes clashing with red in earnest curiosity.

"Everything is alright Karu-sama," she tried appeasing the boy, "it is _alright_ ," she repeated with a grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. And maybe she failed at masking it but that left the two prepubescent teens sharing conspiratorial looks with one another which wasn't all that bad either.

"Karu-kun, introduce us to your friend," a new voice requested, prompting both teens to turn around simultaneously.

The man standing before them was tall, somewhat lanky, pale and had a goatee. He was dressed in expensive robes of gold and green and his brown hair was short. On top of his head rested a black hat with tassels pointing outward with gold, hexagonal accessories.

He was smiling pleasantly at the two, causing minor creases to appear at the corner of his eyes as he waited for the boy's response.

"Tokugawa-sama, it is good to see you. This is Uzumaki Michiko. Michiko-san, this Mitsu no Kuni's (Land of Honey) daimyō, Tokugawa-sama," the prince easily introduced and the girl marvelled at the seamless transaction. As a whole, the male was more on the shy side of the spectrum and was not great at averting himself. Certainly not like his grandfather.

However, Michiko had to hand it to the boy. He knew how to deal with the people here.

The redhead muttered her greeting and bowed her head, raising it when the man told her such formality was unnecessary.

"An Uzumaki eh?" he commented seemingly absentmindedly, a glint entering his eyes or was that Michiko's imagination?

His young wife, Kayo, then seemingly materialised as they were chatting and the latter practically hogged the redhead, steering her away from the two males towards a large group of gathered women.

Women who needed little in the way of prompting to begin their interrogation and gush because "wasn't she the cutest thing ever?"

Later, dinner was served and Michiko took a seat next to the other noble clan heads belonging to Uzu.

They were situated mid-way down the long table, the end being taken by Lord Temmu, with his son, Kusakabe, on his right and Karu to his left. The other present daimyō included the previously encountered Honey daimyō, as well as the Fire, Noodle and Tea ones.

—.—.—.—.—

The next morning, after the group breakfast where all guest were once again expected to attend, Michiko as left to her own devices and was found wandering the gardens within the honmaru.

She was dressed in a light orange furisode, with a maple leaves motif on the hem and sleeves along with the red Uzumaki crest was sewn on the back. Her hair was done simply, partially tied in the back with most left down and lacked the various kanzashi she wore last evening.

She took advantage of the lack of guest in her immediate area to do a discrete summoning and have Mitsuki company her on the journey towards boredom.

Or so it would have been had Tokugawa not decided to make an appearance. Next to him, an obviously younger male, maybe three, four years older than Michiko; was dutifully keeping pace as the two made a beeline towards the redhead. He had longish brown hair tied at the nape of his neck with the ends dropped over his shoulder. His front bangs were cut to eye-level and he wore a brown and yellow ensemble with a tall eboshi on his head.

Knowing that avoidance would be not only futile, but extremely rude, the girl discreetly singled for Mitsuki to behave as she waited for the two males to arrive.

"Tokugawa-sama," she greeted bowing her head, eyeing the teen at his side for a moment before returning her attention to the honey daimyō.

"Michiko-chan, lovely to find you here," the man happily greeted, "this is my nephew Imseong. It is his first time here in Asahama. I was planning on walking with him around when we noticed you," he went on saying, wide smile plastered on his face as he lightly puffed out his chest.

"However I had yet a chance to speak with Sugon-dono and I'm sure you must know the surrounding better than I do. Would you mind terribly showing Imseong around?" a setup, this was a setup and Michiko could do nothing about it.

She smiled politely, agreed and was left alone with the princeling and her clueless fox in the garden as the daimyō left. A moment of silence passed and the girl contemplated the political ramifications of her disappearing before addressing the prince:

"Anything in particular you would like to see Imseong-sama?" she asked the seemingly mute boy. Who, for a good three minutes did nothing but stare at her, saying absolutely nothing.

And while he was not displeasing to the eyes, Michiko honestly had no desire to spend the rest of the afternoon engaged in a staring competition with the green eyed male.

"Shall we finish the tour of the inner garden your uncle was taking you on?" she asked instead, this time not waiting for a reply as she began walking. Peaking behind her she took note of when the prince began following her in order to pick up the pace slightly.

The redhead pointed to the various locations she actually knew but otherwise kept mostly quiet with the exception when Mitsuki jumped on one of the bridge railings and demanded petting. Which incidentally was also the moment the prince first seemed to take note of the fox that had dutifully accompanied them so far.

When they finished, effectively circling the castle and she was about to excuse herself the prince did something unexpected and grabbed her elbow, releasing it immediately when she turned to face him. His face also looked t be very much competing with her own hair in terms of colour and she waited for him to stop fidgeting:

"I-I've never seen the rest of the capital! But it looked exquisite from the carriage and wouldyoumindtakingmeinit?" not only was the girl not prepared to hear him speak but it took her a few moments of stupidly blinking at the increasingly reddening boy to figure out what he said.

"A-sure?" she cursed the questioning tone her voice adopted. "Fair warning that I'm not all that familiar with the city. And would you not be required to let someone…your uncle know you are planning to leave the castle grounds?"

As it turned out he did need to let the honey daimyō know of his plans. As it also turned out, said man had no problem what so ever with this turn of events. And finally, Michiko had to resist the urge to face palm when the man assigned one of his guards to escort them.

Said guard happened to be a hired shinobi from Yugakure and looked more bored than Michiko felt. Which was saying something.

He was also the only one to bother inquiring about Mitsuki's existence once they exited the castle and made their way through the compound to the main gates.

"What's with the fox? He your pet miss?" the brown-eyed man asked, slightly squinting at Mitsuki who now focused his attention on him.

"His my summon," she corrected noting the lost look on the prince's face.

"Name's Mitsuki," the golden fox introduced himself happily. Action which elicited a startled cry from the prince. Which in turn attracted a few more curious stares as they finally exited the castle grounds.

The reactions did elicit a giggle out of the redhead; which she tried to stifle in her kimono sleeve unsuccessfully.

"Miss, are you a shinobi?" the still unnamed ninja asked curiously.

"Don't look much like one at the moment do I?" Michiko snickered, "You can just call me Michiko, I'm not quite used to miss," she added as an afterthought and upon noticing the look Imseong was making she amended:

"You may call me that too if you would prefer Imseong-sama."

"ThenpleasecallmeImseongaswell!" he exclaimed in a rush, blush returning full force as he covered his mouth. Horrified at his own behaviour.

Though it did seem to serve as the final push to crack the ice and all of them gave into laughter as they continued their stroll.

—.—.—.—.—

After the party, and after all the guest left, including the seven clan heads a few days later, reoccurring meetings with the daimyō were set up at the beginning and end of each month for Michiko to attend.

By the end of November all clan heads have decided upon their financial support and had their decisions delivered by their couriers.

Motoaga also sent a copy of the previous agreement between Uzushiogakure and the clan. While copies of the individual agreements between the eight noble clans resided in the Asakura clan's archive which were specially fetched so the redhead might go over them.

The Chiba, Ōkochi and Hata clans will support the cost of the infrastructure. Once Michiko signed the newest treaty with the Kikkawa clan, Motoaga would send over part of their samurai, and the few shinobi they still produced, to provide the village with some rudimentary protection, as well as arrange with the local merchants to sell them produce at a reduced price for now.

The daimyō will finish deliberating with his council in order to determine the yearly funds he will dedicate to the village. The Taira and Hashiba clans will also provide monetary funding for the village to help get them on their feet while the Inaba clan will limit their help to turning over control to Uzushio for the part of the land where the village proper will be situated.

The majority of the money would need to be paid back of course. But all the nobles were willing to give her some leeway in this regard and did not expect any repayment before the end of the seven years grace period they accorded her.

At the start of December, Temmu had arranged for Michiko to meet with one of Uzu no Kuni's best builders. They used an old map of Uzushio —curtesy of the daimyō— and the group when over what required full demolition and what could be salvaged.

They discussed at length on what to prioritise, how many people they wold need, the time estimate for the project, the materials and cost of everything. Considering it was winter and the weather was chillier this time of year things would be slowed done some. However not enough that work couldn't be done considering the winter in this country tended to be mild with very little snow.

The water system was the primary concern and was what worried most of them as it would undoubtedly coincide with work on the underground network. Network, which was collapsed and would, at some point, need to be dealt with.

The wall enclosing the village was also briefly mentioned but left to be dealt with at a later date as it was not a priority so far.

When the meeting concluded, the builders promised to go over the plan with their men and set out for Uzushio once they finished with their preparations. Beginning the restoration process while Michiko was still in the capital, so as to not waste time.

Before parting, Michiko had one request that she was rather particular about. The previous bridges connecting the two sides of Uzushio separated by the Mogami river would need to be reconstructed for easier transport and travel from one side to another.

The redhead had very specific instructions regarding this; she wanted the bridges to be red. And she wanted nine in total.

—.—.—.—.—

Throughout the months Michiko spent in Asahama, she was able to keep in contact with her parents through her summons.

They weren't particularly happy when she told them that her stay at the castle would be longer than she expected. But they accepted it as another fact pertaining to their daughter's life.

As a matter of fact, part of why they didn't worry too much about Michiko staying in Asahama for so long was due to learning that the daimyō saw fit to have several tutors prepared for their daughter.

And, while they didn't want to draw any conclusions about what that meant… they couldn't help but hope.

When Kimi was tasked with delivering the letter announcing the results from the clan head gathering… Daichi was the first one the little fox ran into.

Needless to say when the male took the scroll and read it, he froze.

He stood frozen in place for a long time, rereading it over and over again, the words not registering in his brain. Till Airi found him and asked what his problem was. When she received no answer and Daichi made no indication of moving, she snatched the scroll from him and read it herself.

And then reacted much like Daichi did.

When they finally shared the news with everyone, Kimi was shown various different reactions.

Including tears from Michiko's parents. However, unlike Natsumi, who was silently crying, Takeshi was laughing and crying at the same time.

"She did it," he said, "she actually _did it_."

Nobody contradicted him.

There was still a long road ahead but…one of the largest boulders in their path had just been cleared.


	25. Goodbye

It has been just a little under a year and two months since Michiko first arrived in Asahama and 'moved' into the castle.

The past year has been a very busy one for Michiko. The girl and the daimyō have finalised all the required paperwork which would legitimise Uzushiogakure as a hidden village —even though their ninja population was less then a dozen— and as an independent power.

Frankly all that paperwork could have been finished far quicker had the daimyō not gone quiet for weeks at a time. However if Michiko was being honest she also appreciated the man for doing so:

Over the past months Michiko had come to realise that the man was blunt when it concerned matters involving his country, however he wasn't very good at expressing his emotions. Whatever the link between him and Ayaka was, Michiko had been unable to unveil. Yet, she had a sneaking suspicion that once upon a time they might have been more than friends.

But that was only an unconfirmed suspicion born from the one and only time the daimyō spoke freely to Michikor about the old woman. And even that was only due to having a bit too much to drink at the party he was hosting.

The daimyō spoke softly about Ayaka and once shared a story about the woman storming through Asahama, after having an argument with a noble. —Michiko still had trouble imagining Ayaka losing composure, _ever_ , even if it was when she was much younger—

Although the redhead could at least confirm that the two were friends once upon a time. Maybe that's why the daimyō went out of his way to find her tutors and have her educated in the subjects which would help her lead Uzushio better —at least she hoped so—

Michiko was embarrassed to have realised that she never though too much about the bureaucratic aspect of her dream. In retrospect it should have been obvious that, ninja village or not, in order to _function_ as a village one needed to also deal with a lot of paperwork and politicking. Things which Michiko wouldn't have been capable to do without the education provided by the daimyō.

Hence why Michiko wasn't too bothered about spend so much time in the capital, despite the fact that she missed her family dearly and couldn't wait to see them again.

Her sensei all deemed Michiko to have fully grasped all they could teach her in a year, or in Asaji-sensei's case deemed her "passable", he secretly loved her really. —or so she kept telling herself—

And while she didn't have as much time for training as she used to, it did not mean Michiko slacked off in that area either. The samurai women especially—some of them— were more than happy to help improve her form and technique when using her guan dao, and even some of the male samurai saw it as a crime to not teach Michiko at least the basics of kenjutsu. —or what consisted as basic for samurai and which that they could teach in a year—

Michiko could by no means take on any of them with only taijutsu and kenjutsu, and although she secretly sulked about it, the fact that Michiko could decently hold her own agains masters of those two arts made her happy enough she supposed.

She refrained from using ninjutsu or fūinjutsu during a spar out of respect for the samurai who did not practice it, despite being apt at holding their chakra to reinforce their strength.

Also, despite her initial reluctance, Michiko soldered through the headaches she got each time she was trying to make sense of the notes Kushina gave her on the hiraishin. Minato seemed to have also struggled decoding the Nidaime's notes —not that Michiko could blame him— if his various interpretations of each seal was anything to go by.

Although in the blonde's defence, the Nidaime might as well have written in chicken's scratch. Well decoding a messy handwriting might have been easier actually. If anything it might be more correct to compare the Nidaime's notes to a tablet written in an ancient language.

Not impossible to decode, however it would take incredibly long to do so.

In Michiko's completely unbiased opinion the fact that Minato not only decoded the original instructions but mastered and changed the jutsu spoke volumes of his intelligence.

Which was why Michiko felt particularly guilty about trying to replica the jutsu based off the man's work.

Nevertheless, she took the words Kushina wrote for her to heart and done her best. An effort that payed off _weeks_ later, when Michiko was able to construct her first hiraishin seal. Exuberant, despite how tired she physically felt, Michiko wanted no time in going to the training field to test it out. Placing the seal on one of the archery targets, Michiko moved a considerable distance away and concentrated.

The feel of a hiraishin seal was an odd indeed, and the first time she tested it the feel of crossing through a space void and come out where the seal was placed…was extremely discombobulating. That and Michiko's body hated the foreign feeling so much that it decided to expel the contents of her stomach on the ground.

After she pulled herself off the archery post.

Hiraishin is a space-time manipulation technique which allows the user to teleport to a previously marked location instantly. It does this by opening a space void from one location to the next, a bit like Kamui.

However unlike with Kamui where the sharingan stabilises the space, allowing the user to stay there, the Hiraishin acts almost the exact opposite.

The sudden rift in space —or space-pocket— is unstable, hence why humans (or any living being) can't remain in it and must quickly 'teleport' from one end to another. It does this by having the chakra of the user found within the sealing formula act as an anchor which the chakra from the user body be drawn to it. Pulling the user to the chakra.

As a result the hiraishin allows for instant transport. However as said previously it means that the user can't take advantage of the space void they opened, since they can't stay within it, and need the sealing formulas prepared and placed in the desired location before activating the jutsu.

While on the other hand Kamui is much slower, however because it has the ability to stabilise the space void opened the user can remain within it for as long as they desire. It is for that reason alone —Michiko theorised— that a Kamui user does not require a sealing formula to teleport from one place to another. As long as they know their intended destination the user can take their time opening a portal from within the space-pocket.

Making the two techniques almost mirror images of each other.

'And will be a vital tool to have and use when I will have to deal with Obito,' Michiko though, remembering the rogue Uchiha.

Now, the Uzumaki girl was by no means a master of the technique. Far from it.

Even now Michiko got slightly dizzy by teleporting from seal to seal, and she means stationary seals. Using the hiraishin the way Minato used it was not something she could do right now, and Michiko was even pondering of how that would help her in a fight. Sure she knew how Minato used it, but his default weapon was actually his three pronged kunai and not a giant halbert-like weapon that required him to use both hands.

Not to mention that she needed to practice and see how far she could teleport. So in conclusion Michiko had very rudimentary ability when using this technique that will have to expanded upon.

However putting thought of the hiraishin to the back of her mind now Michiko finished thanking everyone that came to see her off, having already said her goodbyes and thank you to those who were not present.

With one last look backwards and a warm smile, Michiko left the castle and Asahama speeding towards a single direction.

Uzushiogakure

Home

* * *

 **A/N: We are back in Uzushiogakure next chapter woo! Finally, I was planning on writing that bit in this chapter, however I got into explaining my take on the hiraishin and that took slightly longer than I though. It's a bit short but I'm also tired so I though might as well just post this one as it is and by Saturday that latest I should have the next chapter posted!**

 **Ahh you guys are always so lovely in your reviews, I'm glad that you guys seemed to like the last chapter! *blushes***

 **Darkmikoangel12: haha, I know my update schedule is a bit of a mess, sometimes I'm gone for a month and other times I spam out several successive chapters (tricks people who look at the chapter number and publish date into thinking I have a regular schedule XP joking, joking) I'm glad you are enjoying the story! Thank you very much and I do tend to imagine Naruto and Michiko having a good relationship. And I'm glad you don't think Michiko is overpowered, I really trying not to make her seem like it without actually writing every single day of training she goes through... we would be here fore years if that was the case.**

 **Math725e:OMG, I can't believe you actually compared this story to the amazingness that is dreaming of sunshine! I'm very flattered that you somehow ended up thinking so highly of this story, thanks for reading it!**

 **Amberwish: Ah, I'm trying to take a somewhat realistic take on this story even though I myself do not really understand everything that it would take for Michiko to do what she is doing. I at least was trying to show that it can't be something done in a matter of days :D**

 **Question: If you could adopt any orphan from the Naruto world who would it be? I'm really curious it just popped into my head(anyone from anywhere counts)**


	26. Returning Home

Arriving near the north entrance of the village, Michiko and Tsubaki wasted no time in scaling the wall with chakra and…jumping over the edge.

Tsubaki, bless his little soul, saw no problem with this and swiftly copied his partner. Neither seeing why this could have been interpreted as an odd sight, should anyone have spotted them of course.

"Yahoo~" Michiko screamed in delight, her fox giving a delighted yap as well.

Landing on the balls of her feet, Michiko took a moment to dust off her dark purple kimono, and arrange her ponytail, before proceeding to walk ahead as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

She then extended her chakra outwards, feeling the people within the village walls. While most chakra signatures were low level ones, denoting the civilians, —likely the workers— some, were without a doubt to large to be civilian.

Shinobi.

Or, shinobi in training, if some of the more, developing, chakra signatures were anything to go by. The closer Michiko got to the area were most people were present, the easier it was for her to identify each chakra. Some obviously belonged to her family members but there were over a dozen or so shinobi signatures that she could not identify.

'Hmmm, must be the ninjas okā-chan mentioned in her letters,' Michiko though, remembering that Natsumi mentioned a small shinobi family that came here when they caught wind of Uzushiogakure's changes.

Michiko was nearing Mogami River, having passed through the previous centre of destruction, that was now mostly bare of buildings.

The buildings and homes in that area were the first ones to be fully demolished and removed, in order to make more space for other constructions. As it would have been futile to try and preserve anything left of the ruins.

The redhead spotted her first, visual, signs of human life, as she walked down one of the old, worn out paths, leading towards the river.

They were a small cluster of workers who were busy with constructing houses by the looks of things. As she passed by them Michiko couldn't help but admire the job they were doing, and, mentally agreed with the daimyō. They were good at their job.

It was decided early on, that for the sake of expenses and saving time, —plus Michiko's vain sense of aesthetics— that most houses and building would be made out of wood, with a few constructions which would be made out of concrete.

One of the workers spotted Michiko, and although she did not recognise any of them, the girl waved and made small talk with the men, before resuming her walk.

Reaching the Mogami River, Michiko was only slightly surprised to see the wide red bridge before her. However it made sense to have at least one built by now, to make transport from one side of the village to another easier if nothing else.

The river in question passed by the mountain chain, cutting through the village from the South all the way to the lower end of the north-east side. Essentially separating the village into two halves, with the north-west sector being far larger than the south-east one.

Crossing over the bridge, Michiko took her time to admire the scenery. It was nothing as grand like the capital's castle, or as colourful as Asahama's main street, and it was certainly not as populated as Konohagakure; However, as Michiko looked around the mostly bare scenery —save for the greenery which took over most of the village since its destruction— and caught sight of the construction and people which laid ahed, she couldn't help but feel happy.

With renewed vigour Michiko made her way further inside the centre of action. She passed by several workers, most too busy to pay her any mind, but some stopped to give her a curious glance and Michiko greeted them happily when they did.

Michiko even ran into one of the few workers that she met before they left from Asahama. Though unfortunately she only had a vague recollection off the man.

"Uzumaki-sama you returned!" he exclaimed happily, and Michiko could't fully suppress the twinge of awkwardness she felt at the honorific. It wasn't that she hand't been called that before during her stay at the capital. It was more to do with the fact that it still felt too foreign for the redhead to be fully comfortable with being called by such a title.

"Aaa, Watanabe-san good day, how are you?" Michiko asked, mentally praying to every single Kami that she remembered the man's name correctly. Thankfully his answering grin settled her nerves on that matter.

'One awkward event avoided,' Michiko mentally patted herself on the back.

The two conversed for a couple of minutes before Michiko bid Watanabe goodbye, and headed towards the nearest familiar chakra she sensed.

On the way she caught glances of some of the 'new' ninja that were helping the builders with their various tasks.

Most being gathered around a building, that Michiko learned —from asking— was to be the hospital.

"I haven't see you around before," a husky voice interrupted Michiko's musings.

Turning around she was greeted a tall woman, with medium-length dark hair. She had a light complexion with golden eyes —at least Michiko assumed that both eyes were gold as the woman's fringe covered her right eye completely— and wore a black kimono with black sandals.

However her appearance was not the most striking thing about the woman, rather, it was the way she carried herself with confidence, her steps light, and soundless. Michiko could have pointed her out as a ninja from a mile away, even if her chakra did not give away her status.

"No, I just returned after a leave of absence," the redhead replied lightly, if somewhat vaguely, waiting for the woman's next words.

"Hmm," the still unknown woman hummed, apprising Michiko and Tsubaki. "You're Uzumaki Michiko are you not?" she asked directly, causing Michiko to minutely tense, her eyes losing a fraction of their warmth as they apprised the dark haired woman more thoroughly.

"Well, I certainly feel at a disadvantage here. You seem to know who I am, but I do not know who you are," she told the woman, admitting her own lack of knowledge.

"Rinha Marisu," the woman introduced herself, with a small head bow.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Rinha-san," Michiko greeted her politely, running the name through her head a couple of times before realising why it seemed so familiar.

The Rinha clan* were an unaffiliated nomad clan, whose members were targeted due to the clan's excellence when it came to medical ninjutsu. They were especially sought after during the last war, were all the countries fought to acquire a member, to further their own military.

With that puzzle piece finally in its place, Michiko was able too look at the woman in a new light. It wasn't that she came from a clan that prompted Michiko's change in perspective per se, but the situation which drove the woman to come to Uzushiogakure. It was a feeling Michiko could emphasis with well enough and her previously empty smile, while smaller, was now much warmer than before.

"I hope you find Uzushio to your liking…though, we don't really have much to offer at the moment, as, many things still need to be done," Michiko told the older woman.

"Pft," Marisu snickered lightly, her own expression loosing a bit of its ice. "You speak well for someone so young. Which, I guess, is to be expected for someone that has spent so long at the capital, and has managed to achieve what you have achieved in such a short amount of time," Marisu continued, the corner of her lip twitching up in a shadow of a smirk. While Michiko was really starting to dislike her own lack of knowledge at the moment.

"I achieved nothing on my own," Michiko replied honestly, "without the people that have helped me I couldn't have done anything."

"Hmm, a good answer," Marisu said in her husky voice before turning around, "Now, I'm sure you will like to reunite with your family, and I will leave you too it. However, do expect to hear from me soon. There is much, that we need to discuss," the woman said, leaving Michiko with those, somewhat ominous, parting words.

Tsubaki gave Michiko a knowing look, but the redhead simply shrugged in resignation.

Having long since accepted her fate of encountering odd people.

Continuing on her original course, Michiko was nearing the southern wall, were the biggest group of people she has seen so far, were gathered. Most of which were working on the buildings surrounding what appeared to be two large towers structures.

They had a somewhat dome-like appearance, the main one being larger than the adjacent one, and they seemed to be joined, from the angle Michiko was at. They also had a flat roof, and the redhead spotted a couple of workers busy painting the exterior a burnt, orange colour.

Nearing the large, heavy looking, double doors, Michiko's gaze was caught by the large panel with the kanji for 'Uzu' painted on it, at the top of the building.

'The main administrative building,' Michiko thought with no small measure of awe, staring at the work which was done in her absence.

The building was not an extravagant one, as far as buildings could go, but in Michiko's eyes, it looked perfect, and she was already imagining all the security seals that would have to be placed and were they should go.

Making her way inside the building, Michiko was mapping out the layout of it, as she followed the familiar chakra, to a dark green door.

Before entering Michiko made sure that only the chakra she wanted was in the room. Forgoing knocking, she barged inside the room.

The current occupants barley had time to make a surprised noise before Michiko already found herself in her mother's arms.

"Tadaima," Michiko whispered in Natsumi's chest, after a few moments of savouring her mother's embrace. Leaning back only enough to stare up at her mother Michiko gave the shocked woman a bright smile and tightened her hold further.

It took two full minutes of silence, for Natsumi to finally realise that Michiko was in her arms, before she completely enveloping her daughter in a bone crushing hug. Sneezing out all of Michiko's air, as she gave a delighted shout.

Natsumi muttered Michiko's name over, and over, like a mantra for a bit. Aft which Natsumi released the girl, in order to have a better look at her appearance.

The only, physically, noticeable change, that Natsumi could detect in her daughter, was that she seemed to have grown a few centimetres, now almost as tall as Natsumi herself.

The woman almost couldn't believe that her daughter was standing before her, after a year and a bit's absence, wanting nothing more than to hold Michiko and never let go.

A cough, was the only reason, both females were able to burst the bubble they build around themselves; Finally turning to face the final occupant of the room:

Uzumaki Toshio, seventeen years old, stood at a hundred and seventy-two centimetres tall. His reddish-orange hair was cut at the base of his neck, with bangs framing his face. The light colour of his hair making his dark skin and eyes stand out even more. 'And damn, if those aren't some beautiful eyes,' Michiko though, taking note of Toshio's appearance.

His previously lanky built also filled out more, the muscles of his arms exposed by the sleeveless, high-collared shirt that he was wearing. And, although he was not as solidly build as his father, —Daichi was a bloody brick wall— it has been clear that he worked out far more this past year than before.

Unfortunately Michiko realised a minute too late, that she was staring. She just hoped to god that her mouth did not open at any point during her mini ogling session.

Quickly turning her gaze away —cursing her pale complexion, because damn it, she knew that she was blushing— and noted the room they were standing in.

Toshio was seated on a chair before the dark wood desk, were _piles_ of papers and scrolls greeted Michiko's vision. 'Kami no,' she though in horror, realising exactly what was on the desk.

Releasing a small whimper, at the sheer amount of paper that she suddenly became aware of, Michiko began plotting the best way to escape.

'That window looks _really_ breakable,' she though desperately, not noticing Toshio's smirk when he realised exactly what caused her change in demeanour.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Uzushio _leader_ ," he stressed the final word, delighted when the girl took a step back. "Finally decided to come home eh?" he taunted, pushing back his chair and standing up to his full height.

Natsumi for her part, was standing back, arms folded over her white kimono top, watching the two teens with focused eyes. Only breaking her gaze from the two when she felt Tsubaki wounding between her legs like a cat, and while she picked up the somewhat heavy fox up. Natsumi cradled him to her chest,kissed the top of his nose and then returned to looking at Michiko and Toshio.

"Ahaha, Toshio, good to see you…ah, w-what have you been up too?" Michiko stuttered, as she entered flight or fight mode. Eyeing the door and window respectively, calculating which one will take her less time to reach.

"Me? Oh, I have been _great_. Eating, training, _doing the paperwork that comes in_ ," he said, brown eyes glistening with unrepressed glee.

Finally Michiko made to lunge for the door, only to be surprised by Toshio's reflexes when he caught her, with only one arm around her middle. The redhead then dragged, the squirming Uzumaki female, to the chair he was previously occupying, and unceremoniously dropped her in it.

"I'm sure you will find this very fun to complete," Toshio carried on, ignoring the excuses Michiko was coming up with or the sounds of Natsumi's laughter, as he proceeded to tell Michiko how everything was arranged. Which paperwork needed to be finished today, what each piled represented, and roughly what everything was about.

Michiko would have been amazed by the amount of work that must have gone into organising this, and how efficient everything was, if not for the memories of _hours_ spent in seiza, reading over and completing paperwork.

With one last pathetic whimper, Michiko watched as Toshio walked out of the office, Natsumi and Tsubaki —that traitor— following behind. She couldn't help but stare at the dark, green door, before succumbing to her fate.

'At least the chair is comfy,' Michiko though glumly, as she got started on the most 'urgent' pile of paperwork.

'How the hell is there still so much paperwork when I have been doing most of it when I was in Asahama?' the redhead questioned staring at the cream coloured room and noting all the places scrolls and files were arranged on the shelves lining the walls.

—.—.—.—

Four hours later, Michiko burst out of her office, only sparing a moment to close the door and activate the protective seals —which she recognised as her mother's work— before making her way out again.

The young Uzumaki was torn between wanting to punch Toshio, and feel pity for him. Because if he was the one that typically dealt with the paperwork…

'And it wasn't even the more interesting kind,' she thought, settling on pitying the guy. After all, the so called 'interesting' paperwork was dealt by Michiko while she stayed in Asahama, and even that made her want to tear out her hair in frustration or fall asleep.

Michiko made her way through the cluster of houses near the administrative building, some lived in and some empty, but all clearly renovated. From what she could tell, a large majority of the people living here chose to live on this side of the river, the South end.

Arriving at the entrance of a rather big house, Michiko paused to admire it for a second, before making her way inside. She carefully removed her shoes at the genkan, and made her way to where she could hear most of the people bing in.

Entering the large room, Michiko spared only the moment it took for her to locate Toshio, to admire the room, before throwing a scroll at the boy. She was maybe a bit _too_ annoyed, at the fact that he caught it.

"That's the continuation of some previous paperwork that I was unable to locate," she said, ignoring the way silence settled over the room, as her eyes were sorely focused on Toshio's smug face.

"Aaa, I'll teach you the categorisation system tomorrow," he dismissed the issue, waving the scroll in his hand to highlight his point.

Nodding in response, Michiko gave Tsubaki the stink eye when the fox came to sit by her legs.

'Traitor,' she though, willing the words to mentally transmit into the tods' mind.

Finally looking at everyone present, Michiko greeted them with a tired smile, and asked her mother if that was dinner she was smelling.

Natsumi happily confirmed and told her that it will be finished soon, before going to the kitchen to check on the progress.

As a result, Michiko was now left by herself, in a silent room, where everyone was staring at her.

"W-w-what, w-when…Michiko!" Daichi sputtered, eyes the side of saucers. Staring at Michiko as if she were an illusion, before throwing his arms up in exasperation, looking towards the kitchen before turning to his son, seeming to just notice his smug expression.

It didn't seem like Natsumi and Toshio deemed it necessary to let anyone else know of her return.

"Ah, tadai-," Michiko never finished her sentence, as in the space of an eye blink, the girl found herself in Takeshi's arms. The man was twirling her around, his strong arms keeping her in place, as his boisterous laughter filled the house.

And just like a broken spell, the rest of the room's occupants came back to life, bombarding Michiko with questions, or, in Koharu's case, jump her.

—.—.—.—

Almost two months passed since Michiko returned to Uzushiogakure. October was drawing near and with it, Naruto's second birthday.

Throughout all this time Toshio seemed to want Michiko to make up for all the paperwork she missed during her absence. Bringing her a new stack whenever she finally finished with her old one.

He was a slave driver.

So Michiko made up to it by kicking his ass in spars.

Watching his expression the first time they fought after she returned and realising that she was landing more blows than receiving was beautiful.

Nobody said that Michiko wasn't petty at times.

However, that was not to say that Toshio did not improve. His taijutsu improved by leaps and bounds compared to one year ago, and he actually kept Michiko on her guard. She suspected her father had a hand in his training, the style was similar, only adapted to fit his close combat more.

They actually added ninjutsu in the mix for once, and Michiko was literally shocked, by his ability to manipulate lightning so easily.

Marisu also kept her word, and, a week after the redhead's return, Michiko received a knock on her office door .—It was still odd saying that—

As it turned out, Marisu was interested in working at the hospital. Or rather, her and her surviving clan members were willing to offer the village their medical expertise in exchange for protection.

"Even with the war over, we cannot stay in one place for too long. My clansmen are tired Michiko-san."

Which was understandable, after all, nobody was going to say no to gaining a competent medic. Even if it meant taking them by force.

It wasn't really a hard decision to make. Michiko understanding more or less what the Rinha clan had to deal through —during the war especially— and more than a little bit ecstatic at gaining competent and _willing_ medics that would swear loyalty to Uzushio. Add to the fact that they were medical- _nin_ , who were capable, and happy, to teach others their craft…. well, it really wasn't that hard a decision to make.

All that was left for the two females to do was to iron out the details. The clan, unsurprisingly, wanted to live close together and Michiko was able to assign them a plot of land large enough for them to comfortably live on. It was also close enough to the hospital, and close enough to the Uzumaki clan's own living quarters that, should anything happen, they could quickly respond and help one another.

The only thing that took a bit longer to deliberate were…plants, actually.

Marisu explained how her clan was able, and more comfortable, at making their own medical remedies, however in order to do so, they needed to grow certain plants.

Personally Michiko had no problem accommodating this, since it would also benefit Uzushiogakure to have a supply of medical herbs on hand, and not having to buy medicine from outside sources constantly was certainly a bonus.

That would make it cheaper for people to buy remedies.

Fortunately, the only problem with this, was that some of the herbs Marisu mentioned were not native to Uzu, or were found sparsely, in specific locations.

They had, over consecutive meetings, discussed plans about building several greenhouses near the hospital for the sole purpose of growing said plants. And, after discussing this with the chief builder, —Umio-san was happy to see her well and back in Uzushio— it was arranged for those greenhouses to be built soon.

Now it was only a matter of procuring the plants needed. In order to gather the native species that Marisu wanted, Michiko sent Toshio and another Rinha member —since they would know what to look for— to go collect said plants. And gave them two weeks to complete this mission and a summons. —in case they got lost—

As for some of the non-native species, Marisu said that they could be procured for free, from Nanakusa Island. A neutral island renowned for the herbs which grew on it, some being ingredients used in soldiers pills.

Michiko offered herself for this mission, saying that she could stop by the island on her way back from Konoha.

Thus she had Marisu teach her a bit about the plants needed and how they looked so that Michiko didn't gather the wrong ones.

—.—.—.—

On the third of October, Michiko once again left Uzushio —much to Toshio's grumbling— and made her way to Konohagakure, happy enough to see the rest of her family but worried about how they will react.

Unlike with her parents, Michiko didn't write her grandmother and Kushina letters often during her stay in Asahama. Primarily because she couldn't have her summons deliver them, since they couldn't swim, and secondly, because she didn't really trust the birds that delivered the mail. Especially when carrying letters with detailed information.

Paranoia at its finest.

And, if there was one thing that Michiko regretted about her extended stay in the capital, it was the fact that she missed Naruto's first birthday. 'I suck at this hole godmother thing.'

Therefore, despite not being in Uzushio for long, Michiko once again left. Promising to herself to not miss her godson's second birthday no matter what.

Not to mention Toshio seemed apt at doing the paperwork anyway so Michiko wasn't worried about that. _And,_ the village was running all right for now, and Michiko really, _really,_ wanted to see her family in Konoha.

—.—.—.—

Reaching the village gates Michiko couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride when she was able to had in her official identification documents for the first time. Taking delight when she noted the guards eyes widen as they read the papers.

'Bet they weren't expecting anyone to claim Uzushio as their official home,' she though.

Once Michiko was cleared to pass, the redhead wasted no time in entering the village and attempting to locate her family. Only to be somewhat discouraged, when she didn't find them at home.

Expanding her senses, Michiko attempted to chakra locate them with little luck. The girl couldn't find her grandmother no matter what, and when she caught a whiff of Kushina's chakra it was in the Uchiha district.

'She is likely with Mikoto-san then,' Michiko though, disheartened that her surprise wasn't going the way she wanted it to go.

Sitting on the roof of Kushina's house, the Uzumaki propped her head in her hand, elbow resign on knee, and wondered about her situation. Michiko didn't particularly feel like waiting for who knows how long till someone came home, but she didn't know who else she could bother with her presence either.

Ok, so she could name a few people that she wouldn't mind seeing. Half of which she doubted that they would be easy to find, and the other, Michiko wasn't sure wanted to be disturbed.

'Maybe I should have let them know I was coming,' she mussed, falling into a meditative state almost unconsciously. Still, somewhat aware about what was happening around her, but now able to easily access her unconsciousness.

" **What do you want now brat?"** Kurama's voice boomed in her mind as Michiko neared his cage.

"Mah, mah, just came to say hello you old fox," the redhead teased, completely ignoring Kurama's unimpressed gaze.

Over the past year, despite everything she had to do, Michiko would always find time to meditate for the sole purpose of speaking with her bijū. The fox was no happier now, than he was at the beginning at the prospect of having another jinchūriki — **jailor** — but, he al least stopped snapping and shouting at Michiko first thing.

That usually came later, as he grew impatient with her presence.

Michiko wouldn't call themselves friends, Kurama still scoffed at the mere absurdity —in his opinion— of said notion. However Michiko didn't see themselves as enemies, and she certainly didn't hate Kurama. Much to his bemusement, at least he wouldn't out right ignore Michiko. Most of the time.

She did take a look —or two— at her seal over the past year, however Michiko was hesitant to mess around with it.

Understandably, since she doubted that the daimyō would be very pleased at the prospect of Michiko _accidentally,_ releasing a bijū in his capital.

" **You are several centuries too young to call me old,"** Kurama huffed, red eyes narrowing at Michiko.

"That didn't even make sense! It just proved that you _are old_ ," she continued, unperturbed by the fact that she was bickering with a massive 'demon' fox.

Just the usual, nothing interesting here folks.

The two carried on like this for a while till Kurama eventually told Michiko to get out

"It's my mind you know?"

Unfortunately, not that much time passed in the real world, and there were still no signs of either Ayaka or Kushina.

Groaning out loud, Michiko stretched her limbs, listening to her joints pop and releasing a satisfied sigh afterwards. MIchiko took one last look at her surroundings, before jumping down onto the street and mingling with the rest of the people.

Strolling through the village, the redhead took note that it didn't look that much different from before the kyūbi's attack. She passed by the market and purchased an apple, which she ate, whilst walking through the village. Passing by the kage mountain, and taking far longer than strictly necessary, to stare at Minato's face.

'Minato-nii,' Michiko though sadly, fighting back tears at the thought of the blond man, who was so much like an older brother to her during the short time she knew him.

Mind made up, she change course and headed for the cemetery, knowing that she should at least stop by and pay her respects.

It didn't take long to find the exact spot Minato was buried in. Nor was it difficult to see that it was well maintained. Summoning images of Kushina coming by with Naruto to speak with Minato, and Kakashi coming by himself, staring at the headstone and talking with a man that will never reply again. With that, she couldn't stop her tears any longer, as she stood kneeling before the grave.

Michiko didn't know how long she stayed there, crying and softly speaking at the headstone, but it was way past noon by this point and the girl knew that she couldn't keep staying here any longer.

"Bye Minato-nii, I promise to come by again," MIchiko liked to imagine that Minato could see them and was actually listening.

—.—.—.—

'Ugh, what is Kushina-nee doing at the Uchiha household _still_?' Michiko mentally moaned, as she was making her way to the Hokage Tower.

Since there was still no movement form Kushina and Michiko couldn't find Ayaka no matter what, she decided to pay Hiruzen a visit.

She was due for one anyway, especially due to her, 'furry' status, that caused the Sandaime to wish to keep an eye on her.

'And where in the blazes is obā-chan?' she wondered for the tenth time, while waiting for the hokage's assistant to go tell the man of her presence.

"Hokage-sama is able to see you now," the somewhat robotic response broke Michiko out of her mussing. Thanking the brunette woman, the redhead made her way to Hiruzen's office, knocking twice for good measure before entering when called.

"It's good to see you again Michiko-kun," Sarutobi's voice came from the other end of the room. A look around the room made Michiko winch in sympathy.

"Am I interrupting you from your paperwork Sarutobi-sama?" and much like Michiko previously did, the reminder of his paperwork made the old man winch in dismay.

"A short break never hurt anyone. Just make sure to not to tell my secretary that I haven't finished yet," he said lightly, eliciting a small, amused snort from Michiko.

"My lips are sealed," she replied, mimicking pulling a zipper shut.

Chuckling in response, Hiruzen settled with his elbows on the desk and eyed Michiko more thoroughly. He gestured for her to take a seat, and while the couch near the bookshelf looked far more inviting she went and pulled a chair by the desk.

"I'm glad to see you look well. I trust that the rest of your family is also well, and that everything is all right?" he questioned, locking eyes with Michiko. "We haven't heard much from you over the past year," he added.

'Here it is,' she thought.

"Ah, yes, we are all right," Michiko told him, bowing her head a bit before carrying on. "My apologies for the lack of communication, I must say I am not too fond of messenger birds."

"I heard that you went to speak with the Uzu daimyō, how did that go," Hiruzen asked pleasantly.

'Could you be fishing for information any less obviously?' Michiko wondered but kept it to herself.

"Aah, it took longer than I expected but things worked out," she said honestly.

Cue surprised blinking.

Seeing as there was no reason to keep Hiruzen in the dark, especially since she was hoping to reestablish the old ties between their villages, Michiko told him about the events which transpired over the past year.

And saying that Hiruzen wasn't surprised about the news would be a big, fat, lie. Especially since he made no effort in masking his reaction.

Here she was, a slip of a girl, and she just finished telling him that she made tremendous progress in reestablishing Uzushiogakure.

A village, which Hiruzen didn't expect to ever hear it being talked about, except in a historical context. A village who he failed to send aid when they most needed it. Another mistake that would haunt him for the reminder of his life.

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, looking over Uzumaki Michiko once again with new eyes. He recalled when Jiraiya and Minato first mentioned the girl. And if he tried, Hiruzen could remember Jiraiya mentioning that the girl wanted to see Uzushiogakure rebuilt again.

He dismissed that bit of information as the wish of somebody who missed what they could never have agin. And beyond a pang of sadness at the reminder that Konoha failed to support their closest allies in their time of need, —something that still had repercussions to the people which once lived there. Even years after the fact— he didn't see anything else. Hiruzen didn't even note that bit, as information which could mean that Michiko was a determined child, because he though it too fantastical of a wish…

But here she was, two years later, and Michiko was on the way of achieving what Hiruzen once though impossible.

'I finally understand why you sealed half of the Kyūbi inside her Minato,' Sarutobi though, a smile playing on his lips as he listen to Michiko complain about a boy that seemed to always pull more paperwork out of nowhere for her to do.

He couldn't help but emphasise with the girl, a look around his office reminding him that he himself was not immune to the curse which was bureaucratic work.

"By the way, Sarutobi-sama," Michiko politely addressed him, drawing him out of his thought.

"Do you know where my grandmother is? I can't seem to find her no matter how much I look."

Taken by surprise, only due to the suddenness the request, Hiruzen took a moment to think about the where the stubborn Uzumaki woman —who was more outspoken than even Kushina, mind you— could be.

"Aah, if you can't find her then she is probably with Anko-kun," he said, remembering Orochimaru's ex-pupil.

"Anko-kun?" Michiko asked in confusion. The name rang a bell, but it took her a bit before she vaguely remembered a kunoichi by that name from the series.

"Yes, she was Orochimaru's pupil before he…left," Hiruzen said. The age lines around his eyes and mouth, tightening at the though of his own traitorous ex-student.

Narrowing her eyes at the information, Michiko couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what exactly did this girl have to do with her grandmother. As if sensing her thoughts, Hiruzen sighed:

"Before he defected, Orochimaru saw fit to use Anko-kun as one of his experiments," he told her tiredly.

"What…exactly, did he do to her?" Michiko questioned, unable to fully suppress a shiver at the thought of the snake man and what his experiments, _entitled_.

"He left her with what he called, _Heaven's_ curse mark," cue disbelieving snort from Michiko.

"It is a complex piece of fūinjutsu that non of our best experts could unravel," he told her gravely, and Michiko could finally see how her grandmother came into the picture.

"Ayaka heard of it and offered her help. Since then, she seemed to have taken Anko-kun under her wing and they have been making progress on removing the seal off of Anko-kun," he finished. The new information was swimming through Michiko's brain, and suddenly she could recall more about this Anko girl. All very vague memories, —as most of her previous life was more or less a faded image, that she was now only partially, aware off— but the curse mark was not one of them.

If her grandmother could figure out how the mark worked, and how to remove it —which she will— then when Orochimaru came for Sasuke or anyone else they could use that knowledge! It was fantastic news in Michiko's opinion and she was about to say as much when—

'Ayaka! Already on first name basis and with no honorifics?' Michiko wondered, eyeing Hiruzen in a new light.

She was, thankfully, capable of keeping the amusement off her face, —Fujinuma-sensei was very thorough— but mentally promised to grill her grandmother about this new tidbit of information later.

Thanking the third for his time and help, Michiko was about to excuse herself when her stomach rumbled rather loudly. Causing her face to immediately heat up and Hiruzen to chuckle.

"It is rather late, I admit to being hungry myself," Hiruzen said, both finally nothing that it was past three o'clock. He offered to pay for lunch and while Michiko hesitated for a single moment her hunger won out and she thanked the man once again. Accepting his offer for lunch before they both made their way out of his office and unto the busy streets of Konoha.

Michiko followed the Hokage to a small restaurant that served a variety of dishes and decided to share a hot pot dish, as it was getting rather chilly outside. They settled on sukiyaki and talked a bit while eating, moving from topic to topic all the way till desert.

The two tried to stick to less, politically filled topics, and were discussing how the armistice between the nations was going on, when the door bell chimed, signalling that a customer either entered or left.

Unconsciously Michiko already angled herself to see who it was, the 'ninja' instinct kicking in and almost dropped the manju she was eating into her tea.

'huh?' she though stupidly as she watched the two females that entered the shop be greeted by one of the workers which was directing them to a table.

Even from behind Michiko would have to be blind not to recognise her grandmother. Ayaka's hair was in its typical up-do, a single hirauchi* seen as decoration in her light, red hair.

She wore a dark purple robe, with gold and black cuffs and hemlines. Next to her, Michiko could only make out the spiky purple hair if the girl next to Ayaka. She seemed as tall as Michiko herself, —so, nearly the same height as Ayaka—wearing mesh tights, a light orange skirt and a dark coloured, long sleeved shirt, along with a thick bracelet on her right hand.

Michiko couldn't stop staring and, like magic, —or chakra Michiko, or chakra— Ayaka turned around, casually surveying the room for a short while before her gaze landed on Michiko.

The two Uzumaki females were locked in a stare-on, neither willing to break eye contact despite the rising dread Michiko was feeling. Of course this did not go unnoticed by their accompanying partners, as Hiruzen was calmly drinking his tea, —only his eyes betrayed the amusement he felt— while Anko was looking back and forth between Ayaka, Michiko and Hiruzen.

"Anko," Ayaka's voice carried through the small restaurant, clear and strong.

"Yes, shishou?" the girl questioned, looking at the woman who was her mentor with curiosity.

"You remember that seal you wanted me to teach you?"

"Yes…?" the girl replied feeling anticipation coursing though her body.

"I'll teach it to you, _if,_ you catch her," Ayaka said, pointing towards a wide eyed Michiko.

—.—.—.—

Anko, followed the woman's finger, and stared at Michiko, trying to figure out who the girl eating with the kage was.

The redheaded girl was clearly a relative of her shishou's and Kushina's. It wasn't even the dark red hair that gave it away, but the girl's bone structure.

For a single moment, when she first locked eyes on the girl, Anko though that a younger Ayaka was staring at her, since she resembled the old woman remarkably well at first glance.

Then, the memory of a framed picture found inside Kushina and Ayaka's home flashed before Anko's eyes. In it was Kushina, holding a baby Naruto in her arms with another young, redheaded girl, standing by her left.

She asked Kushina who that girl was. Only to learn that she was non other than Uzumaki Michiko, the girl who stopped the Kyūbi. "I thought she was older?"

'Well, if all I have to do is catch her…' Anko thought, feeling a wide grin spread across her face.

—.—.—.—

"Obā-chan!" Michiko said indignantly, standing up from the table. Watching Anko with worried eyes, as the girl's expression shifted, a predatory gleam entering her brown eyes.

'Well fuck,' Michiko though before the purple haired girl launched —literally— herself towards Michiko.

Michiko quickly thanking Hiruzen, as she pushed herself over the table, before dashing outside in order to escape Ayaka's new student.

The redhead wasted no time taking the 'rooftop express', avoiding most of the crowd on the ground and gaining a better view of the village. Of course this had the downside of making her more visible to Anko, and, if the girl's shouting was anything to go by… she was no slacker in the running department.

'Mou~ obā-chan!' Michiko mentally whined, avoiding a shuriken aimed for her head. 'The hell?' she though, chancing a glance at Anko only to see the girl adding paper-tags to the kunai.

'She isn't…,' but her though was interrupted as Michiko swan dived to the ground, avoiding the —relatively small (they are in a village)— explosion.

"This isn't how you play catch!" the redhead shouted towards her purple haired pursuer, only to be ignored as Anko launched several senbon towards her.

—.—.—.—

"Explain," Uzumaki Ayaka demanded. Abandoning the table her server has shown her and moving to sit across the Hokage. Aware of the stares but choosing to ignore them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen simply sighed and waved a waiter over, apologising for the disturbance and waiting for Ayaka to order something before continuing.

"Michiko-kun returned to pay us a visit," he said, enjoying maybe a bit too much the way the woman's eyes narrowed even further.

"I've seen as much," Ayaka finally said, curtly thanking the waiter for bringing her food so promptly.

"What I don't understand is why she was with _you_ first," she finished, never breaking eye contact.

Using his tea cup to partially hide his smile, Hiruzen couldn't help but chuckle mentally at Ayaka's expense.

"I must admit that I doubt that I was Michiko-kun's first choice. However, it seemed that she couldn't locate you or Kushina," he told her. Watching as the space between her eyebrows creased in thought before realisation flashed through her eyes.

"That stupid girl…," Ayaka muttered, not meaning a single word, as she continued eating in silence.

"So, how is she?" the woman questioned after a while, looking at Hiruzen expectantly.

"Hm?" he said, raising an eyebrow and watching as Ayaka huffed in annoyance.

"She seems to be doing better than we expected," he said mysteriously, knowing that it

would irritate the woman before him.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" she questioned with narrowed eyes. Too impatient to wait till she inevitably sees her granddaughter home.

"It would seem, that Michiko-kun is truly aiming to surpass all of our expectations," Hiruzen said kindly, sharing with Ayaka Michiko's achievement.

Poor Ayaka dropped her chopsticks and any pretences of being in full control of her body as silent tears were falling down her cheeks, and a trembling hand raised to cover her mouth.

"Uzushio—Uzushio is being rebuilt?" she asked in a whisper, looking at Hiruzen with wide glassy eyes, barely seeing him as visions of her old home flashed across her eyes.

"T-that stupid girl," Ayaka said again, chocking on her tears a bit before a brilliant smile took residence on her face.

'This…is the first time I saw her smile like that,' Hiruzen though in awe. Struck with the realisation that it was a beautiful smile.

'That is certainly a family trait,' he though kindly, watching the woman who became his friend with fond eyes.

—.—.—.—

'It really is nice weather today,' Kushina though as she was walking towards the park with her friend, Mikoto, and their children. Sure there was a chill in the air, but the sky was clear and the sun was still shining brightly.

Thus, the two females decided that they stayed cooped inside their homes for far too long, and decided to take their children out.

Naruto and Sasuke were walking in between them, each gripping their mother's hand as they chatted about something, while Mikoto and Kushina were discussing Itachi's academic progress.

"Mou~, Itachi-chan should take it easy, he's been working so hard," Kushina commented, as she remembered how Itachi barely stayed home long enough to eat before going out to train.

Truthfully he did stay a few minutes to play with Naruto and Sasuke. Who could say no to their cute faces?

"Ara, there isn't much to do about that though. He find training easy and he grasps every single techniques Fugaku taught him almost immediately," Mikoto said, smiling softly at her best friend.

The fiery woman did have a point, and while Mikoto would have liked to have Itachi around the house more often, there wasn't anything one could do about the situation.

It wasn't like her or Fugaku will prohibit the boy from training, he was their pride and joy after all. The pride and joy of the entire clan is Mikoto was honest.

Just as Kushina was about to reply, a short shriek drew the foursome's attention.

On one of the nearby roofs two figures could be seen fighting.

Or, more specifically, one figure was attacking and the other was dodging the various projectiles and ninjutsu sent their way.

"Are those snakes?" Mikoto asked frowning.

And indeed, seemingly from the attacker's arm, several snakes seemed to have emerged lashing at the red haired girl.

'Wait…red hair!' Kushina thought in surprise. Her eyes widening and her mouth opening in a small 'o' as the younger redhead jumped off the roof, landing on the ground just in front of them.

The girl's back was facing Kushina, but the Uzumaki mother had no doubt about the person's identity.

Especially after hearing the girl's voice:

"Are you serious? Summons? Actual summons? Are we getting them involved in this as well?" Michiko asked, hands blurring through various hand seals before slamming one to the ground. A seal-array forming underneath her palm, followed by a 'poof' of smoke, which acted as cover, before it revealed four foxes.

They didn't even need to wait for Michiko's verbal, command, lashing out at the snakes with deadly accuracy as Anko remained momentarily stunned.

Taking this chance, Michiko switched from defence to offence, rushing towards the girl, chakra generated in her right hand, before she slammed it on Anko's chest as the purple haired girl tried to dodge.

A black seal pattern formed, spreading from Michiko's hand and snaking across Anko's body, immobilising her.

"Oy! Not fair," the purple haired girl shouted angrily.

"I seriously don't want to hear that from you," Michiko muttered, before bringing her hand up in salute.

"I'm Uzumaki Michiko by the way, nice to meet you…" she trailed off, giving Anko a pointed look.

"Mitarashi Anko," she mumbled in reply, giving Michiko the stink eye while simultaneously pouting.

Looking at said expression for a bit Michiko couldn't help but blurt:

"I like you," causing her foxes to snort and Kushina to face palm. Everyone else, including Anko, just blinked in confusion at the sudden declaration.

"Geh, you don't seem that bad either Uzumaki," Anko replied, recovering from her shock and giving Michiko a grin.

"Bah! Don't call me Uzumaki, that's going to get confusing real fast. Just call me Michiko. _I_ already decided I'm calling you Anko- _chan_ ," Michiko said somewhat cheekily, causing Anko to laugh in turn and nod her agreement.

"So you going to release me now or what?" the girl demanded, gesturing with her head to her body, which was paralysed below the neck.

"Depends…are you going to keep chasing me?" Michiko asked, eyebrow raised in a silent challenge.

"Where's the fun when you are expecting it, _Michiko-chan_?" Anko grinned, popping her joints as Michiko undone her seal. With a nod and a thanks, the redhead also dismissed her summons before something heavy slammed in her head.

"Ouch! Who threw— Kushina-nee!" Michiko exclaimed in surprise. Finally noting the Uchiha-Uzumaki formation watching her and Anko with various expressions, raging from amused —Mikoto— to starstruck —the kids— and finally Kushina. Who was sitting with her arms crossed and a mildly annoyed expression on her face.

'Well, _I'm_ in trouble,' Michiko though automatically. Subconsciously inching away towards Anko.

"Well, well, _well_ ," Kushina started, tapping her foot for further emphasis.

"Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence, after _a year_ of absence, dattebane."

"…ahaha, Kushina-nee, it-its been a while," Michiko said, rubbing the back of her head, as she mentally went through the best ways to grovel and ask for the woman's forgiveness.

Not that she needed to. Too impatient to wait for Michiko to make up her mind, Kushina passed her son to Mikoto for a moment, before marching on to the steadily paling young girl.

—Anko moved away by this point and was watching the show in amusement—

Knowing better than to run away, Michiko stood rooted to the ground, preparing herself for whatever punishment her sister-like figure was about to dish out.

"I missed you," Kushina murmured, embracing the younger girl, and squeezing her tightly to her.

Blinking in surprise at the reaction, Michiko didn't need much prompting to return the hug.

"I missed you too nee-chan," she replied back, burring her face in the older woman's chest.

"kā-chan…" a young voice interrupted the two redheads, causing them to turn around and face the trio behind them. Personally Michiko felt her hear spot for a moment when innocent, blue —'so, so blue,'— eyes turned towards her.

"Naruto-kun?" she asked in wonder. Looking at the almost two year old and feeling the sting of tears at the corner of her eyes.

"Yes, Naruto," Kushina said bonking Michiko over the head before making her way towards her son and friend.

Picking him up, Kushina turned to look at Michiko and raised her eyebrow.

"Well? Come on Michiko-chan," she ordered, before returning to talking with Mikoto.

The confused children and Michiko simply staring at the two women who acted as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

An awkward cough from Anko reminded the redhead of said girls presence. Turning around Michiko faced the other kunoichi who told her that she was returning to the restaurant.

"Lets fight later Michiko," she said before hopping on the nearest roof and disappearing out of sight.

With that done Michiko rushed to follow after the two mothers who did not forget their original destination was the park.

Even better, now they had a babysitter to look after their boys as they relaxed.

Michiko didn't complain, showering the two kids with attention the rest of the evening.

—.—.—.—

Meanwhile in Uzushiogakure, in Michiko's office:

"When that brat comes back I'm going to bury her," Toshio growled out as he eyes the new pile of paperwork his mother was kind —or horrid, depending on how you look at it— enough to bring.

He just returned from collecting the required medical herbs, which only grew further south on the island, only to find out that the greenhouses weren't completed.

Lets just say that Toshio and Marisu weren't impressed and that the workers doubled their efforts to finish the job.

In an _acceptable_ manner.

They weren't going to allow some half assessed job to be done.

Etsuko's giggling interrupted Toshio's train of thought, and the man looked up at his mother.

"A sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," she said, smiling innocently. 'Innocent my ass,' he thought, 'she only gets that look when she is plotting something.'

"Well don't hold it in, just say whats on your mind," the redhead told her, watching Etsuko warily.

"No, no, you misunderstood me," the blond said, waving her hands in front of herself.

"It's nothing…just a thought I had," she said, smiling secretly, black eyes glittering dangerously, reminding him of his cousins and aunt.

"And…what was that thought?" he asked, regretting it almost instantly the moment a giant grin spread across her face.

" _Well_ ~, nothing _that_ big. Just that…recently, ever since Michiko-chan came back, you haven't been able to stop talking about her…" she trailed off, watching her son with hawk like eyes.

'Abort, abort, abort,' Toshio thought desperately, looking for ways to escape this conversation.

"It's not what you think," he replied curtly.

"Oho? And _what exactly_ am, I thinking, Toshio-chan?" Etsuko questioned, amusement pouring out of her in waves.

Deciding to take pity on her son, when she thought that she could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. Etsuko turned to leave the office, leaving a completely embarrassed Toshio behind.

"That's not it," he mumbled pitifully, eyeing the door his mother just exited through.

'Oh Kami,' he suddenly thought, 'what if she starts telling people her ridiculous ideas!… Takeshi-sensei is sure to hear them sooner rather than later,' he thought with rising dread.

And, after the mental image of an overprotective Takeshi entered his mind, Toshio ran after his mother, hopping to prevent the damage she was undoubtedly going to cause.

—.—.—.—

Back in Konoha.

Michiko spent a total of two weeks in the village hidden in the leaves.

Two weeks where she was bombarded by questions and was able to meet with friends.

Kurenai was surprised to see Michiko, the two ran into each other at a tea shop, where they ordered a drink and a plate of dango and caught up with each other.

Kakashi was out of the village for most of her stay. And she only got to see the unsociable boy the last three days of her visit. At least he was mindful enough to actually spend time with her, coming for dinner during those three days and actively engaging in conversation and, sparring.

Ah, yes. Michiko understood perfectly why he was called a prodigy.

Surprisingly, well, not really, Michiko spent most of her time surrounded by Uchiha. It would seem that with Kushina alive, Naruto was able to meet Sasuke much earlier and since a massacre has yet to happen the other little boy had a very pleasant personality.

He might hero-worship Itachi a _tad_ too much, but…who was going to tell Sasuke to stop?

Itachi despite only their brief encounters in the past was still able to clearly remember Michiko and was very polite. The two actually spent a couple of hours together as they played with Sasuke and Naruto, and Michiko swore that her heart almost exploded at the sight.

Itachi for all that he was portrayed as a villain and then a tragic hero in the manga, was so much more and less at the same time.

The boy was kind beyond measure, despite being a prodigy and a child that witness the battle field of the last war. (A fact Michiko found out from Itachi and almost caused her to march up to Fugaku and give him a piece of her mind)

He, without a doubt loved and adored his little brother, as if the toddler was the sun of his world.

Of course, Itachi was also extremely talented in the ninja department. Graduating from the academy within a year and being assigned to Team 2.

Despite being the youngest member of his graduation class, the Uchiha heir didn't seem to mind or did not dislike his peers for being mean to him due to his young age. Instead patiently proving to them that he was worth their time.

Michiko actually had the opportunity to train with Itachi. The kids fell asleep —a miracle on its own— and they left them with the adults since Itachi wanted to go train and Michiko was curious what that entailed in the young prodigy's case.

Imagine her surprise when non other than Uchiha Shisui, turned up at the training field as well. The older boy was also surprised by her presence but after the awkward: "hi nice to meet you," the three got along surprisingly well. Especially when considering that Michiko was far older than the two.

Not that they seemed to mind.

Actually seeing this as an opportunity to test themselves against a different, more experienced, opponent. They were both scarily good with shuriken, and their teamwork was flawless.

Shisui was actually so good with the shunshin jutsu that Michiko was forced to use hiraishin once.

Now don't get this the wrong way.

Michiko did not employ the kunai-hiraishin Minato was renowned for, as her accuracy and ability with the technique decreased significantly when she tried to use it with a moving projectile.

However due to her ability with fūinjutsu, Michiko was able to mark locations via touch and simply teleport to them.

A stationary target was a much better anchor for the technique, and, it was, at the end of the day, the most basic way to use the jutsu.

Of course when fighting two geniuses, even if they were kids, one couldn't just lie and pretend that they used the body flicker technique.

Plus as far as Michiko knew, it didn't need to be a secret that she could perform the technique. After all, it wasn't like she was the only hiraishin user in the world. When she talked with Kushina about the technique, the older Uzumaki revealed that Minato taught others the jutsu as well.

Only, unlike Minato, and herself, they couldn't use it on their own and required the assistance of at least two more people in order to pull it off successfully.

When Michiko was not surrounded by the aforementioned Uchiha, she was being bodily tackled by non other than Izumi.

The seven year old demanded to know why Michiko was away for so long and why she didn't come to see her immediately. Admittedly the young Uzumaki didn't expect Izumi to remember her so well, or to even still care after two was of course, her own mistaken interpretation, as Hana pointed out.

Nevertheless Michiko made up to it in Izumi's eyes by helping the girl train for two hours after she finished with the academy. Learning that Izumi was indeed pursuing a medical career, much to Haha's relief.

The girl grew quite a bit in the past two years, easily reaching Michiko's middle.

She wore her long, brown hair in a high ponytail now, as opposed to her low one, with bangs framing her face. Her obnoxiously large, black eyes still stood out —in a good way— bring attention to her face.

They were so pretty that Michiko was genuinely jealous once. Then visions of Uchiha's whose eyes were gouged out penetrated her mind. And their pretty eyes suddenly didn't seem like a blessing anymore and Michiko hugged Izumi —or any Uchiha that she knew and was within arms length— tighter.

Michiko actually had this realisation whilst at the Uchiha patriarch's house. While Sasuke had absolutely nothing against spontaneous hugs, Mikoto and Itachi took their with some confusion, before giving in and hugging Michiko back. Poor Fugaku on the other hand… He had no idea what to do when he woke up to an armful of sad Michiko and look desperately at his wife for help.

Mikoto didn't recall laughing so much at her husband's expense in a _long_ time.

However the reminder of what could happen to all of them in a couple of years made Michiko remember that before she left, a lot of people didn't have the kindest view about the clan. Apparently even after the clan heads meeting, Danzo still pushed for the clan's move, stating that all of the other clans accepted their relocation without complaint.

Or they did, except that Inoichi stated that his clan preferred to keep to their spread out layout and the Kurama clan didn't really like where they were being relocated. Needless to say Michiko was happy to note that the Uchiha were still near the village centre.

Even if she was aware of the ANBU watching.

That was not to say that problems didn't still exist for the Uchiha and Michiko swore to pay closer attention to the clan. Now, more than ever, because they were as good as family in her books and Michiko refused to abandon family.

Ever.

So, with a silent promise to do her best to help and protect the clan, the Uzumaki stared to device a plan. One that included foxes, and some well placed hiraishin seals, that Michiko made sure nobody knew about.

—.—.—.—

During those two weeks Naruto's second birthday also occurred.

And, while Jiraiya played hooky last year as well, it would seem that this year Kushina put the fear of the gods into his heart and he made an appearance.

The sannin was, despite his absence, extremely glad to see them. And Michiko might have had more than a single argument with the older man about who got to spend more time with Naruto. —Not like the brat complained about the extra attention— She won those arguments of course but took pity on the man and let him hold Naruto as well.

Once.

Maybe twice.

What? Michiko didn't share too well.

The birthday party was of course celebrated in their garden and the Uchiha family was present as well. Even Hiruzen made an appearance, —another excuse to avoid the paperwork— to congratulate the birthday boy and give him a present.

Anko was there too, although Michiko learned that Anko was almost always at the household anyway so the purple haired girl wasn't a surprise.

Overall thought, the sight of so many people surrounding Naruto, and the boy's laughter, made Michiko so happy that she cried once she knew nobody was paying attention to her.

'He's not alone,' she though watching him, the truth and the weight of that statement finally sinking into Michiko, making her feel lighter than ever.

'Minato-nii might not be with us anymore…but, I'm sure he's smiling as well.'

—.—.—.—

 **A/N: I know I said I would have something by Saturday latest, last Saturday that is, and I'm sorry for the wait. Made a promise and I couldn't keep it. Thus this monster of a chapter came to life. I hope this somewhat absolves me. Sorry!**

 **On another note:**

 **If you could adopt any Naruto orphan who would it be?**

 **My answer: Kimimaro. I mean bloody Orochimaru didn't deserve him and I just want to hug him to death.**

 **I may, or may not, have cackled in glee when I saw that the first response said Kimimaro as well XD**

 **A big shout to everyone who has read so far, who has reviewed, liked or followed this story, you guys are epic. Seriously, I wish I could offer you all your favourite cookie and a hug.**

 **Darkmikoangel12** **: I hope I didn't disappoint you with hoe long it took to get out this chapter, and nope I have not yet read: Yet again with a little extra help by third fang, however I did find it and saved it for later…it would require some time and dedication on my part to properly read it.**

 **: Thank. You. So. Much. Why didn't I ever actually research what over powering a character actually is? You cleared hat out for me and it helped put things in a new perspective for me. So again thank you!**

 **Lulumo** **:Hhhm I wonder how that will play out :D**

 **Math725e: Ha, I must say I am on a similar wavelength as you. No, Michiko's romantic life wont ever really be a focus, I men she has a lot of things to do and that will take to much time and energy on her part. Out of all of my OCs I see Michiko as a ruler first, before anything else.**

 **Once again thank you to everyone who bothered with reading this story, I love all of you.**

 **And sorry if I did not individually answer your review, I try to not write too much in the A/N section since I think it affects the word count a bit too much.**

 **Anyway much love, and see you next time!**


	27. And life carries on

**A/N: Message at the end**

* * *

People do not experience 'time-skips' in real life.

You didn't just blink, and suddenly a decade has flown by. It just didn't happen.

However, days could, and did, blend into one another, giving the illusion that time was flying by you.

This was the phenomenon Michiko was experiencing. As similar days blurred into one another and seasons changed without her even realising it.

Not long after Naruto's second birthday, Michiko returned to Uzushio and entered a somewhat-regular routine.

Mornings would typically be dedicated towards training, spending more time learning and developing her ninjutsu arsenal. Not that Takeshi would _ever_ , let Michiko slack off physically training. He got along with Guy for a reason.

And, since she was once again surrounded by shinobi training partners, Michiko endeavoured to test out her hiraishin in combat situations. She could safely say that, it could use some…practice.

Kushina gave Michiko some tips and even went to fish out Genma. Forcing the two to discuss the jutsu they received from Minato —personally and from his notes respectively—

Unlike Michiko, Genma and the others Minato taught the hiraishin to couldn't use it independently, mainly because they lacked the intrinsic fūinjutsu understanding needed. However, he was able to help Michiko practice her teleportation using a moving projectile.

And, with practice, the redhead was able to appear at the desired location _near_ the kunai, not in front of it.

(The hiraishin was not designed to make one teleport at the 'exact' location of the seal, rather it would use the chakra emission given off by the seal to teleport the person at any point _near_ the seal.)

Returning back to the original point; mornings tended to be reserved for training unless something happened. Therefore, anything remotely political, a.k.a paperwork, was dealt with after, leaving late evening for anything else Michiko might want to do.

Of course her schedule was not set in stone and she was often out of her office helping around the village, even taking on small missions every now and them to gain more experience.

—.—.—.—

Michiko wasn't sure Toshio wanted to go on a mission with her and Guy, _ever_ , again.

(The Uzumaki boy officially developed a phobia of green spandex suits. Michiko found them rather comfortable unfortunately)

Poor Kakashi could relate with the disgruntled male. Guy and Michiko fed off each other's energy and the taijutsu obsessed male somehow converted Michiko to his ways.

They made a fierce duo.

(Kakashi also had a sneaking suspicion that, whenever Hiruzen sent ninjas to help Uzushio, he sent Guy on purpose. Purely for the entertainment factor, reports from, and about the male, tended to generate)

—.—.—.—

Construction slowed down significantly once the winter season started. Many builders returning home, to battle the cold alongside their families, taking a break from the constant work the village demanded.

The ones that did stay behind however were the ones who moved, along with their family, to Uzushio. It was mainly because the contract they agreed to, was long term. And many found it difficult to be away from their loved ones for months on end.

But while they were taking a break Michiko couldn't. There was always something to do, and if there wasn't something would appear. Nothing monumental as of yet, but it all started with the little things.

Refuges were slowly, but surely trickling in Uzushiogakure. Poking their noses and testing the waters to see if they could actually settle here. They were all welcomed with open arms by Michiko, so long as they promised to respect the laws put in place.

There was a larger influx of civilians that came in; people who had nothing left to do in their home countries and came seeking a new start. People who lost everything due to the war, however, were the most numerous.

Among them many fragments, of what were once larger clans, be they ninja or merchant ones. The Rinha not being the only ones to have heard of Uzushiogakure.

When it wasn't dealing with newcomers it was dealing with neighbouring countries and villages. After the third great war, an international armistice was declared by all the nations, large and small. Which, despite Uzushiogakure's destruction at the time, the current Uzushio fell under, meaning that no hostile movements were outright made against them.

However they were still a rising hidden-village, and, while most would ignore them, unless they grew stronger than expected, people, unwanted people, still poked their noses. And the reason was simple: Uzushio had a history. Yet.

One that made it a target not so long ago.

So, understandably they were under more scrutiny than strictly necessary.

This is where Konoha came into play.

Their villages used to have a very strong alliance in the past, to the point that in honour of their friendship, Konohagakure integrated Uzushio's emblem in their flat jackets. ('Oh _how_ amazing.')

A small thing, in the grand scheme of things, but a reminder nonetheless.

A reminder of their old friendship, and a reminder that Konoha failed Uzushio in their time of need.

While Michiko's village had nothing they could offer Konoha —strictly speaking— for the moment, Hiruzen, and even the elders were rather open at reinstating their previous alliance.

Michiko received a copy of the old alliance document, and with the exception of a few changes, the two village leaders reached an agreement.

The announcement was made and a treaty was signed in January.

The hiraishin was really handy in speeding up this process by simply allowing Michiko to teleport from one village to another. It was, without a doubt, a rather great disadvantage for Konoha that Michiko could essentially waltz into their village whenever she wanted, without checking into security first …but, lets just say that they turned a blind eye to that fact for now.

Konoha even hosted a festival in order to celebrate the union to which Michiko's family was present, including Toshio and his family.

It was impressive how easily Ayaka could have Daichi back down from something with just a look.

Michiko also made sure to parade Naruto around for a bit, making it known that he was her godson.

The redhead was certain that the couple she heard call Naruto names peed themselves a little when she confronted them.

Michiko didn't care what the script she originally knew stated should have happened. As far as the Uzumaki was concerned, that script sucked. It dictated the death off too many of her loved ones, and did not allow for Uzushio's existence.

The script could go _burn_.

Especially if it allowed for a child to be so thoroughly neglected, due to something _done to him_.

So, if Michiko was more ruthless than was strictly necessary when dealing with the adults of the village…well they were big kids. They could take it. Even if one encounter with an angry Michiko could leave one with nightmares. She _was related_ to Kushina.

Nevertheless, now that Michiko could pop in Konoha whenever she wanted, she made sure to often visit her family and friends. And maybe, _maybe,_ occasionally steal Naruto —and Sasuke _once_ —

What? Nobody was going to stand between her and her godson.

Michiko dared them to try.

And Sasuke kinda came as a package deal.

What could she say, children liked her.

Plus it provided an excellent excuse for her to keep an eye on the Uchiha clan, doing her best to catch even a whiff of rebellion.

Or Obito.

It depended on who, or what, came first she guessed.

—.—.—.—

Of course, peaceful days didn't last for long, and, by mid-spring, _shit hit the fan_.

A new disease hit the continent hard and fast; taking everyone by surprise and leaving the medics baffled. Nobody recognised it, nobody had any information about what triggered it or where it even originated from.

Gossip pointed towards Ame and the surrounding regions. However, it was far more important to find a cure than squabble about its origins. The illness spreading far to quickly to make it possible to discern with a hundred precent certainty its origin anyway.

Uzushio was not spared of this new danger either. Hitting the elderly and weak first, and steadily filling the hospital beds. The Rinha clan members, —and their young apprentices—who were in charge of the hospital, were in a frenzy, trying desperately to find a cure.

Even Konoha, renowned for their medical system, were faring no better than anyone else. Hiruzen received enough pressure form the council and the population that he sent several teams to track down, and bring back his female student, Tsunade.

Which was no easy task.

Tracking the renowned medic wasn't the difficult part per se, although she did a might job in avoiding the teams sent after her. It was convincing her to return to Konoha, if only temporary, in order to help discover a cure for this virus that was the hard part.

The Senju woman was stubborn, and she swore never to step foot inside her old village ever again. However she was a medic first, even if terrified of blood, and Tsunade couldn't ignore the fact that so many were suffering.

Their hospitals kept in contact via birds and Michiko. —who cursed, on numerous occasions, that this world did not have any form of instant communication across great distances—

The only benefit from hiraishining so often between the two villages was spending time with the children. How Michiko ended up gaining Sasuke's affection was a mystery. Although, it might have to do with the fact that she was always happy to help him learn things. Hmm, maybe.

And, despite everything that was going on, Michiko, Natsumi and Daichi were also busy with their own personal project. One that started early in the year, but that they were only recently able to begin implementing due to the melted snow.

They were planning on placing a sensing barrier around the village. However the Uzumaki chose to not use any pre-made seal; to lower the likelihood of people knowing how to bypass or disable it.

(When dealing with centuries old plant men one could never be too cautious.)

So while winter was in full swing they squeezed their brain juices together. Designing the required seal.

Admittedly they have yet to test it at the full scale requirement…but what better way to do so than by actually implementing it?

—.—.—.—

A cure was found by the end of July and the young leader did everything in her power to share this discovery. Sending letters and samples of the antidote, to all the village leaders and daimyō she had access to. Urging them to do the same and help put a cap on this virus once and for all.

The vaccine developed was mandatory for all to take, a precaution. Meant to reduce the risk of healthy people developing the disease and starting this hole mess once again.

There was a large party thrown for the doctors, both in Konoha and Uzushio, in gratitude for their efforts. There was food, drinks, music and dancing. Everyone was _happy._

So of course Michiko couldn't enjoy the break like everyone else, but instead turned her focus towards Kumo.

The Raikage, it seemed, had a change of heart. And, one of the most vocal, pessimists, regarding the armistice which befallen the nations, extended its offers of _friendship_ , towards both Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure. 'How utterly _not_ suspicious,' she though sarcastically whilst rereading the letter from the Raikage.

Michiko had her doubts of course, but Hiruzen seemed rather keen on the treaty. That is not to say that he wasn't aware of the other, more nefarious, purposes Kumogakure might have had in mind when offering them a treaty.

Danzō, was especially very vocal in his opinion about this treaty. To put it simply…he didn't want it. The other elders, while unsure, leaned more on Hiruzen's side. Believing that it was worth the try, if only to make true, peace seem more plausible.

The young Uzu leader also conferred with others on this matter before reaching a decision. The general consensus was that Michiko should accept the treaty, and, after speaking with Hiruzen, she sent a letter to the Raikage.

People were ecstatic about the news, especially once Kumo confirmed that they will send a peace delegation to Konoha first to sign the treaty before coming to Uzushio.

Michiko really wasn't sold on this treaty.

Call it a hunch, but the redhead was more than a bit sceptic towards Kumo's intentions. She had no previous memory of this happening in the old script. Though her memory about her past world was spotty at best.

After all, it wasn't like she had any materials to refresh said memory before she wrote down all she knew.

But, life, the future, was never really meant to be know. Thus, like any other person, Michiko took each day at a time, dealing with things as they came, and trying her best to do what she thought was right.

Because at the end of the day, she was only human too.

* * *

 **A/N: My apologies for the wait. Reason: I am the biggest procrastinator, _ever_. Exams are literally just around the corner and I am dealing with them by simply not doing anything. So smart. **

**Thank you for everyone that waited for this chapter and were so kind and said such encouraging things, you are really great. Also, welcome new readers, I hope you are also enjoying this story. Thank you, all of you for reading this story.**

 **Quick Clarifications:**

 **Michiko is not a kage. One can only be a called a kage if they are the leader of one of the big five. However, with that said, it seemed that other village leaders could be made a kage if the other 5 acknowledged them.**

 **Now, AGES:**

 **So there is a sort of time skip in this chapter**

 **It starts from where we left off last chapter at Naruto's second B-day (2AKA-after kyūbi's attack October 10)**

 **Michiko was 14 years 6 months 19 days old**

 **The treaty with Konoha was early next year, same for the disease (which is a real thing from one of the Naruto games, just search up Marisu to know more) and Kumo treaty which is around September, just before Naruto's 3rd B-day.**

 **So Michiko is about 15 years 5 months old.**

 **Kakashi is 1 years 6 months 6 days older than Michiko and 16 years old by end of this chapter**

 **Kushina is 25 years old**

 **Toshio is 18 year and 8 months old - he is 3 years 2 months 20 days older than Michiko**

 **Takeshi is 39 years old, Natsumi is 35 and Ayaka is 54.**

 **Am I a bit pedantic? OCD? _Hell yes_.**

 **OH OH OH OH!**

 **Michiko doesn't know kagebunshin, hence can't use it. _It is supposed to be a secret Konoha jutsu._**

 **Also please let me know what you think about my writing style or the plot. Is there something you would recommend me to do? Change? Does the plot make sense thus far? Do I need to clarify anything?**

 **Once again thank you lovely people for reading this story and see you next time!**


	28. Life

September rolled around, leaving summer behind and the Konoha-Kumo peace treaty fast approaching. To be more specific, the Kumogakure was approximately fifteen hours or so away. Slotted to drive around noon next day.

Currently, Michiko, who left Uzushio in Toshio's hands temporarily, was sitting on the egawa of the Uchiha clan head's home. Sasuke and Naruto were both inside and fast asleep. Mikoto and Kushina chose today as their relaxation break. An almost monthly occurrence when the mothers chose to push off their responsibilities on others, (read this as usually Itachi or if possible Michiko) while they enjoyed the hotsprings.

The redhead couldn't blame them, the brats were a handful on their own. Together? Michiko thanked the gods they were mostly able to exhaust each other. It did help her as well, keeping her mind busy while she waited for the Kumo representatives to arrive.

You wouldn't assume that Michiko would be so worried about their arrival, considering the fact that they were coming to Konoha and Uzushio right now.

But the dread which started small, a foggy warning at the back of her mind, spread. Going all the way to her stomach were it stayed, growing into an all devouring pit and making Michiko angsty.

She wanted to believe Kumo's intentions were pure. Well, as pure as any shinobi's intentions can be. Only she just couldn't get rid of this nagging feeling that something bad was bound to happen.

Most, including Hiruzen, thought she was being overly paranoid. Looking for things when there was no evidence pointing to look. It was Kushina and Daichi who were mostly just as worried as Michiko. Both having had dealings with Kumo in the past. And not the good kinds.

Daichi had to deal with them while he and his family left Kaminari no Kuni, while Kushina was kidnapped by them in her youth. Needless to say that they were on edge.

Looking up when she felt a presence land by her side, Michiko meet Fugaku's dark eyes with her own.

"You seem tired Fugaku-san," Michiko pointed out softly, so as to not wake up the children only a shoji screen away.

"Ah, everyone is preparing for tomorrow and are on high alert," the elder Uchiha replied, observing the teen next to him.

Uzumaki Michiko was the person which stood up for his clan when everyone else refused or were too afraid to do so. She was also close to several of his clan members, his own sons included. Thinking about it, children in general seemed to like her. He crossed his arms in thought.

Fugaku didn't mistrust Michiko per se, it was mainly confusion he felt when it came to Uzushio's leader. He wasn't certain what she was playing at when he first heard of her vehemently arguing for the Uchiha. At the time she had no close ties with the clan. She also forged rather strong bonds with his sons in a very short amount of time, all things considered.

If word was that she was in Konoha then Itachi would seek her out. The boy never said it outright, but then again, Itachi never shared about his close relationship with Shisui either, and Fugaku still knew. (If Fugaku were completely honest with himself, he would admit that he felt a bit envious at the two's relationship with his eldest)

However, as Michiko never made a move to harm either boy, or the clan he left her alone. She would help Itachi train and that could only benefit his son in the future.

"Funny, how such events tend to be so filled with anxiety, despite the good nature of them," Michiko commented offhandedly, looking at the waxing moon. She wasn't paying much attention to Fugaku, far too lost in her thoughts to do so. Not that it meant she wasn't aware of the silent assessment Fugaku was conducting on her.

"Nee, Fugaku-san," she suddenly said, finally giving the Uchiha head her full attention. Her reply was nearly a curious grunt and his attention.

"Do you know of any way to reach the moon?" she asked him seriously, despite the ridiculousness of the statement.

"Hah?" the man exclaimed in surprise, baffled at not only the sudden change of topic, but also at the question itself. Normally, he might have found such a question irritating or expect it from a child. Nevertheless he would have easily dismissed it. Except that in this case the girl looked so serious when asking that his mind reflexively paused to think. Even though his reply was still the same: "No."

That was another thing that made him feel uneasy about Michiko. She had moments were she would say or ask something, that gave off the feeling they meant more than she was letting on. Not the most bizarre thing in the world, except at times, like now, her words seemed completely random.

Honestly, there were times when the girl directed her red gaze towards him, and Fugaku felt a shiver rock his body. It was as if she was looking directly in his soul and he disliked the feeling immensely.

Though, he mussed later that night. Wasn't that how some people described when having the sharingan directed towards them?

—.—.—.—

Kumo sent their head ninja, as expected, and three more jōnin teammates to accompany him. There was a parade thrown for them in welcome, a sign of good will on Konoha's part. Despite technically not needing to, Michiko was allowed to stand by Hiruzen and the elder's side when they greeted the Kumo delegation.

If any of them were surprised by Michiko's appearance or young age they did a great job at hiding it. They all retired to a meeting room were they discussed what was to happen.

The entire affair was full of empty smiles and political pleasantries, till Hiruzen assigned one of his jōnin to escort the Kumo delegation to their lodgings to rest from their long journey.

Things were going smoothly. The next day was spent negotiating the ins and outs of the treaty and by the end of that day Michiko was almost willing to believe that she had been overly paranoid.

Except, as she was chatting with Kushina and Ayaka, and the three Uzumaki women enjoying a moment of peace and quiet amongst themselves, Michiko felt it.

Kumo's head ninja exited his hotel room and was heading east. And with his attempt at hiding his chakra…it didn't seem like he was just taking a convenient stroll in the middle of the night.

Getting up from the table, Michiko easily caught the other two's attention.

"Michiko-chan wha-" Kushina attempted to say only to be interrupted by Michiko.

"I think you should alert the Hokage," she said simply, having already put on her boots, despite still being in her sleeping yukata.

"What's the matter?" Ayaka demanded, tense and ready to act if needed. Likewise Kushina was already up and ready to go, regardless of her state of dress.

"Kumo's head ninja seems to enjoy high speed midnight strolls," Michiko told Ayaka, focusing on the chakra she could only locate due to the time she put into memorising it. After all, the man was doing a great job at hiding it.

No more words were exchanged between the three, as Michiko left in pursuit of the shinobi, while Kushina went to alert Hiruzen. Ayaka who stayed behind made a beeline for Naruto's room, eyes softening only momentarily when they landed on the sleeping child.

She wasted no more time and set to activating the various protective seals her and Kushina put in place. Standing watch over her pseudo-grandson while the other two redheads dealt with the problem at hand.

—.—.—.—

Kushina easily reached the Hokage's home, dodging a well thrown kunai as she bypassed the security wards.

"My apologies Hokage-sama," she said, going on one knee before the man. Hiruzen only narrowed his eyes at the scene, mind already going through all the reasons which would have caused Kushina to arrive as she did. He didn't like any one of them.

"There is reason to believe the Kumogakure ninjas are here for more than just a peace treaty," the redhead continued, voice strong and clear. Sarutobi already felt resentment build up within him.

'We have been tricked,' he though sourly, listening to everything Kushina had to say.

After a moment of deliberation he sent Kushina to gather a small team and check up on the other Kumogakure delegates. With Michiko in pursuit of the main suspect he had enough time to alert the councillors and have them prepare for the worst.

'Seems Danzō and Michiko were right about this treaty,' Hiruzen though, before finally leaving as well.

—.—.—.—

Michiko's dread was rising the more she pursued the Kumo ninja. His destination became clear pretty soon and Michiko found herself observing the shinobi infiltrate the Hyūga compound. Chakra masked, Michiko used the remaining foliage of the plum tree she was in to conceal her presence.

She would have apprehended him the moment he stepped foot in the clan's compound, if it wasn't for that fact that on its own, it was not enough to accuse Kumo of betrayal 'Fucking politics,' she thought angrily, feeling a tiny portion of Kurama's own anger blending with her own. Michiko couldn't communicate with the fox right now, as taking her attention away from the ninja, even for a moment could prove to be a fatal error.

Instead she forced herself to relax, muscles loosing their tension, and observed.

The ninja was skilful, Michiko won't deny, as she watched him infiltrate one of the homes. She prepared herself, kunai in hand, for the very moment he emerged. Which he did, child tucked under his left arm.

The Uzumaki allowed her anger to sweep out, shocking the head ninja enough for him to react a second to late at the kunai thrown. It didn't hit him, nearly passed by his left cheek.

That was all Michiko needed.

Before the man even had time to register the entire situation, Michiko hiraishined to the kunai, sending a swift kick to the shinobi which couldn't be blocked.

The impact sent him away from her, the force of it causing him to lose his grip on the girl, allowing Michiko to catch the child before they fell and got injured.

The commotion was enough to alert the clan of intruders and Hyūga members flooded their area, byakugan activated, and various expressions of shock displayed on their faces.

"Hinata!" a man shouted, rushing towards Michiko. the redhead simply handed him the child, only a small part of her mind registering the name of the girl. Her focus still of the Kumo ninja, who although standing again, was surrounded and knew it as well.

"I do not believe the peace treaty stipulated anywhere that Kumogakure was allowed any Hyūga," Michiko pointed out, appearing for all the world to see like she was already bored of this situation.

The shinobi tsked, visible eye darting in all directions before he loosened his stance.

"Killing me would be taken as a direct call to war by the Raikage," the man arrogantly said, eyeing Michiko with distaste.

"I am aware, but so are Kumo's actions this night. Don't worry, you won't be killed, after all there is no need to give the Raikage any reason to turn this situation away from himself," Michiko pointed out, watching as the man before her was once again tensing in anticipation of a battle.

"Raikage-sama would never be intimidated by the likes of Konoha and a wannabe village," the man taunted, fingers icing for his pouch. The taunt worked in getting a rise out of the present Hyūga members.

However, before the situation could escalate further and the shinobi did something stupid, Michiko once again hiraishined next to the man and caught his arm. Her left leg already shot out sweep his own from underneath him, causing him to fall while Michiko quickly directed her chakra outward, watching as a restraining seal formed over the man's body.

"How!" he exclaimed in surprise, paralysed from the neck down. Instead Michiko checked his mouth for any poison pills, a last resort in case of capture, before gagging him so that he does not bite his tongue.

"You lost the moment I was able to land that first blow on you," she told him coldly, chakra chains sipping into existence and wrapping around him. "It allowed me to mark you with my hiraishin," Michiko pointed towards his right cheek, where her jutsu formula was plainly displayed for all to see.

If the Hyūga members present were left in slight awe then that was their problem, Michiko was too busy imaging the political shit storm which was bound to follow this event.

Making her way towards Hyūga Hiashi, Michiko allowed her eyes to rest on Hinata's prone figure.

"How is she?" she asked the father gently, meeting his eyes for the first time tonight.

"He only knocked her out," the man replied, anger pouring out of him in waves as he looked at the restrained ninja in her grasp.

"That's good to know," Michiko replied, unconsciously tightening her hold on the man further. Had it not been for the element of surprise, and the obvious disadvantage the man faced, Michiko was certain that he would have been a formidable foe, and capturing him would have been much harder.

A few more hushed words were exchanged between the two before a ninja team, lead by Hiruzen appeared. If his expression was anything to go by this night was only starting.

—.—.—.—

As expected the Raikage was furious. He denied any involvement and accused Konoha and Uzushio of conspiring together.

He actually had the audacity to demand Konoha and Uzushio to pay for this waste of time.

Kami did Michiko want to rip A apart.

But the evidence was against Kumogakure. And after their shinobi were returned, alive, he declared them traitors, acting under self given orders, and, _apparently_ 'executed' them. Yeah, and Michiko was naturally blonde.

They didn't apologise for the event, denying involvement in the incident leaving the relationship between their villages to sour even further.

Ha, imagine how incredulous Michiko was when the Raikage had the audacity to propose they continue with the peace treaty. Starting with Uzushio of course, to give Konoha time to _relax_.

Personally Michiko might have been tempted to throw the missive right in the Raikage's face, literally, if that wouldn't have simply caused more problems.

As it was things went back to how they were. Only difference being that Kumo and Konoha were a hair's breath away from ripping into each other and the Hyūga clan was most thankful to Michiko for saving their heiress.

Michiko wanted to bang her head against her desk, repeatedly. At least Konoha and Uzushio's relationship strengthened further in the people's eyes. By all rights Konoha owed them.

'Ugh.'

—.—.—.—

October pushed September out of its way, Naruto turned three and life went on. Michiko carried on with her duties. Managing an increasingly developing village took its tool and even Toshio pitied her enough to help out. She should really just officially name him her assistant and be done with it.

Another year passed, January came, february was eventually passed the baton and Michiko found herself enjoying a cup of steaming tea, while her legs were being warmed up by the kotatsu.

Her mother was pleasantly humming to herself, busy knitting —a hobby she recently took up again— while her father was laying, belly down on the floor, going over a scroll.

It was one of those quiet afternoons where the family of three could relax together, basking in each other's presence.

"You known, I haven't seen you knitting since Michiko was just a baby," Takeshi commented offhandedly, picking up an anpan to eat while reading.

"Eh, really?" Michiko asked in surprise, directing her attention towards Natsumi.

"Yup, yup, your kāchan would knit you all of these cute little clothes to keep you warm," Takeshi said, a warm smile blooming on his face.

"Well of course, and with the new baby on the way it's only normal to show them the same treatment," Natsumi finally added, never pausing in her work as she said so.

The room was swallowed in silence except Natsumi's light humming, the other two occupants frozen in place, brains trying to process the information.

"W-what?" Takeshi barely said, looking at his wife wide eyed.

"Mhm,"Natsumi hummed, "It's still early, but it is always better to get a head's start you know?" she said, finally pausing in her work to look at the other two.

"Well I certainly hope that is not everything you have to say," she commented, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms across her chest, dark blue eyes narrowed in mock anger. It was once again Takeshi that acted first moving towards his wife and placing a hand across her abdomen.

"You're pregnant?" he asked in awe, mouth slightly agape, green eyes wide and sparkling. Ah Natsumi's nod the darker haired man whooped in joy. Picking Natsumi up despite her protests and twirling her around.

It was only when they realised that Michiko still hasn't said anything thatchy paused, turning towards their daughter. Who was still frozen in place, staring at Natsumi as if it was the first time seeing her.

Natsumi felt hesitant for the first time, excitement draining out of her. She never, not for a moment imagined Michiko to give a negative reaction to the news. However, her current silence was making her anxious.

"Michiko…" she trailed off, watching as her child's red eyes seem to finally come back into focus.

"I'm…I'm going to be a big sister?" she asked breathless, looking at her mother with wide, clear eyes.

The adult pair finally relaxed, a relieved sigh escaping them.

"Yes Michiko, yes you are," Natsumi confirmed, barely prepared for when Michiko launched herself at her. Hand wrapping around Natsumi and faced buried in her chest, laughter escaping her unrestrained.

Takeshi made sure that they didn't tumble to the ground and held them closer. Love shining in his eyes as he looked over his family. And for just a moment he closed his eyes, sending a grateful prayer to whatever Kami watched over them.

A quiet moment for the family before the wave known as reality crashed into them.

They could at least enjoy today.

—.—.—.—

After Natsumi's news, which Takeshi and Michiko made sure anyone with ears knew of, Michiko was filled with even ore determination than before.

Things in Uzushiogakure were developing nicely, and they received an increase in mission requests. Thanks to Konoha who would pass missions along to them every now and then, Uzushiogakure was able to 'promote' itself further.

The Uzu daimyō was also slotted to make a visit soon and Michiko already hand picked a shinobi escort to help protect him on his journey.

Things finally seemed to have calmed down after Kumo's backstabbing and instead it was Yu no Kuni(Land of Hotsprings) which offered their hands in peace. Michiko of course conducted a slightly more rigorous, than strictly necessary, background check on them…but who could blame her?

In the end by June the treaty was finalised and Uzushio earned their second ally. July tenth found her in Konoha celebrating Kushina's own birthday —a constant reminder that she is _alive_ — and three days later, just as she was about to leave, reality knocked on her door.

A full report of the events and traumatised Itachi later, Michiko was left sheeting in the Hokage's office. Of course she did as taught and masked it like any good nobly or shinobi. Instead focusing on dealing with the problem at hand.

Itachi's genin team, Team 2, was given the honour of 'guarding' the daimyō on his annual visit to Konoha. It was normally a rather straightforward event, and, if any problems arisen, the real ANBU protection squad dealt with them.

Only this was not a couple of bandits, or, even some high ranking mercenaries.

No.

This was an enemy they couldn't have predicted to show itself.

The masked foe.

The one only Michiko knew to be Uchiha Obito.

He appeared, only to slaughter all the ANBU operatives and, one of Itachi's teammates, before the boy's eyes, disappearing as he sensed reinforcements arriving.

Fury was not a good enough word to describe Michiko's state.

Things were tense as deliberations were taking place. Is this the same masked man from that tragic night? The description sure as hell matched. What was his purpose in doing this? They didn't know.

Once the meeting was over Michiko made a beeline for Itachi's home. After greeting Mikoto, she inquired about Itachi, watching as a shadow briefly fell over the woman's eyes. The two talked a bit in hushed voices, interrupted only when the shoji screen opened.

Michiko briefly noted Fugaku's back before focusing on Itachi, who just entered the room.

"Yo Itachi-kun," Michiko greeted the boy, watching as he blinked in surprise before returning her greeting. Although a more subdued version of it.

"Do you have plans for today?" at his hesitation Michiko swooped in.

"No? Great, them i'm kidnapping you," she declared, seemingly only remembering afterwards that he has parents and turning towards Mikoto. The woman wasn't completely sure what the redhead had in mind but consented nonetheless. "Take care," she needed to speak with Fugaku anyway.

Wasting no more time, Michiko took Itachi's hand, leading the boy away from his home, through the crowded streets of Konoha to a dango stall. There, she purchased a box full of the sugary confections, requested they be put in a small bag and left.

Itachi for his part was simply attempting to figure out what the teen was up to, keeping pace with her easily. They arrived in an empty training ground, where Michiko marched over by a patch of closely growing trees, sat down and waited. The dango box was on the ground to her left, and Itachi finally took a seat across from her.

His confusion was palpable, but Michiko simply chose to look at him, waiting for him to ask the question.

Her red hair was in its standard high ponytail, swaying in the gentle breeze. She was wearing a cheosang shirt, fastened to the side, and a pair of lose black pants that had an elastic at the end, tightening the garment at her calves.

"I heard you have fully awakened your sharingan," Michiko finally said when the boy in question remained quiet, not missing the way Itachi tensed at the words, or how his hangs clenched on his knees. Narrowing her eyes, she asked:

"Did you even have a chance to cry over it?" her voice were soft and her eyes reflected sadness.

Itachi wiped his head up quickly, looking at Michiko in shock. That, was not what he expected. At all. He expected praise, maybe even a lecture on how he had to be more responsible from now on.

Nobody asked whether he was upset before. Certainly not in regards to his sharingan.

He opened his mouth to say something, only to discover he didn't know what. This was all very sudden and the eight year old was confused.

"I am not going to congratulate you for awakening your sharingan," Michiko told him seriously. "I may not be an Uchiha by blood, but I know full well the price one must pay for those eyes…each time they grow stronger," she moved, kneeling before Itachi so they were eye level.

"Yes, life will carry on, but that doesn't mean you can't be upset over things just because they all pass in time. Your sharingan is proof that you have suffered and felt great pain, so, I ask again Itachi-kun, did you get a chance to cry about it?"

If the young boy wasn't speeches before, he was now. Never had he heard someone say anything that would suggest activating one's sharingan wasn't reason to celebrate. Yet, here she was saying exactly that.

Itachi finally became aware of the lump stuck in his throat and that his eyes stung. Trying to swallow and wipe his eyes only served to make it worse, and, before he had a chance to react, he was enveloped in Michiko's hug.

She held him close and said nothing as he tried to sort out his thoughts.

The tears he couldn't cry outwardly. The tears he couldn't cry before his superiors or family. The ones he only shed in his mind...came undone. He wasn't a hysterical crier. Choosing to simply let his tears fall quietly while Michiko sheltered him from the rest of the world.

And for this one moment, Uchiha Itachi truly felt like the child he was.

He didn't know it at the time, but Michiko had every intention of paying Obito back for every single one of his tears.

—.—.—.—

Uzumaki Seiichi was a healthy baby boy. Born slightly premature on the 29th of September and measuring thirty two centimetres. He was a surprisingly loud baby too, but warmly welcomed nonetheless.

Ayaka, who threatened pain like no other on anyone who got between her and seeing her new grandson, was cooing at Seiichi in her arms, Kōmyō and Mikomi right next to the old woman, whisper arguing about whose turn it was next to hold the baby.

Natsumi was asleep after a two hour birth and holding her son for the first time. The doctor ensured that she will be fine after some well deserved rest and took their leave.

Kushina was sitting at the table, smile on her face as she answered all of Naruto's questions, while the twins, Kohaku and Makoto, also paid the woman their complete attention, absorbing the knowledge like a sponge. The youngest members of their family were already smitten with the new addition and Naruto couldn't stop poking Seiichi whenever the baby was at arm's reach.

Airi and Etsuko were busy in the kitchen cooking the food and plating it, while Toshio was asking his stars how he got dragged into all of this whilst watching Michiko dance with her father, being loud right alongside him and her little brother.

Chinsū and Daichi seemed to be the calmest of the bunch, simply enjoying celebratory sake.

It attested to how tired poor Natsumi must have been, or how used she was to it, that she could sleep right through it all.

—.—.—.—

Life seemed determined to be a pain in the ass. If Michiko even though that things were relatively normal then it would throw another cannon ball at her no hesitation.

At least that's how Michiko though when she finished hearing one of her ninja's report of his mission. It was only a tiny thing at the very end, gossip that he picked up in one of Mizu no Kuni's ports.

Dismissing the man, Michiko called for Toshio. Making the necessary preparations before going home to change in her winter gear.

Once done and scroll packed Michiko bid her family goodbye, stoping only to plant a kiss of Seiichi's forehead before setting out to Mizu no Kuni.

Seriously couldn't this world take a break for, like two years or so?

—.—.—.—

 **A/N: Who wants to guess what event is next on the list? Kami knows I have been waiting for it since I first thought about it.**

 **What do you guys think about adding Seiichi to the mix?**

 **He wasn't part of my original plan but then when I though of Natsumi and Takeshi I kinda felt bad for them. I mean, their only child was doing rather fine without them, though their deaths would sure effect Michiko. Then I though about them having a child and though it wouldn't be that hard to envision. They are no longer hiding in Yu no Kuni, there is no war happening, things are looking up, for better or worse.**

 **So an unexpected addition to the family doesn't seem that improbable. Also symbolism wise, I though Seiichi could not only represent proof of the Uzumaki's continual existence, as all the other children born after Uzushio's destruction do, but also as proof of the 'new' Uzumaki clan so to say. The first one born in the new Uzushiogakure.**

 **Anyway let me know your thoughts if you so wish**

 **An ultra big thank you for all of this story's followers. For everyone that favoured it, and for all of you that reviewed, you all keep me strong!**


	29. Omake

**Beta: Do I even need to say that it is the incredible Prince Nemui**

* * *

 **Omake**

 **—** **How Hogwarts took over Konoha—**

"Silverin," Naruto pronounced determinedly.

"Sly-the-rin," Michiko corrected, helping her godson learn the foreign word.

"Slyverin," the boy tried again, frowning in concentration.

"Nope, but close, Sly- _the_ -rin," Michiko repeated again, amused at Naruto's attempts.

"Gah! Who wants to be a stupid Slyverin anyway," Naruto grumbled, hands crossed over his chest and adorable pout in place. Really, how was she expected to stay annoyed when he had that expression? Although Kakashi was doing a wonderful job at keeping her irritated with his constant snickering and commentary. Kinda like right now.

"Help, or be quiet," she ordered the teen, red eyes narrowed in warning.

"Me?" Kakashi asked mirthfully, pointing to himself, "Oh, no, no. Please do continue, _I couldn't impose_."

Turning back to Naruto, the redhead plastered on her kindest smile:

"Now, now Naruto-chan, it is not nice to bash other people's houses," she admonished.

"What's bash?" the kid asked instead, Michiko's words completely going over his head.

"Bash means to insult something someone else might like, simply because you don't. In this case, saying that Slytherin is stupid," she explained.

"But it is," Naruto whined.

"I agree with Naruto-chan. I can't see how this information-," Kakashi added, only to be interrupted by Michiko throwing…a stick, at him. The look he gave her spoke volumes.

"You keep quiet, idiot. This is an important right of passage," Michiko argued, hair rising against gravity. She was emulating Kushina rather impressively at that moment.

If poor Naruto was confused, and on the verge of asking something, then that urge got squashed by Sasuke and Itachi's arrival.

"Sasuke!" Naruto greeted his friend, happily running towards him.

After ensuring that the children were fine, Itachi went to greet the two teens. Confusion written across his face as he listened to their squabble.

Michiko was arguing about the importance of…'magic?' Itachi thought, even more bemused now. While Kakashi was simply pretending to be bored.

Their, _conversation_ , did not cease because of Itachi, but because the two children wandered over. Once Naruto reached Michiko's side, he grabbed the side of her green dress, pulling on it to grab her attention. "Bachan, bachan," when he succeeded, and the fiery teen turned towards him, the blonde pointed towards his friend:

"Tell Sasuke about Gryffindor and Howarts and Slyverin," Naruto said rapidly, pleading Michiko with his eyes.

"Hogwarts," the girl automatically corrected, eyeing Sasuke. "Is the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in Britain," Michiko said proudly, ignoring the confused looks she received and Kakashi's snort.

"How can you say that with a straight face?" the silver haired teen asked, only to be ignored.

"Listen here, brats," the redhead said, hands on her hips, and doing her best Anko impression, "what you are about to learn is information privy only to a few people."

Looking at the boys to see if she had their attention, Michiko was pleasantly surprised.

"Take a seat-,"

"-There are no seats-"

"- _and_ listen closely." she said. And, despite Kakashi's interruption, the children were enraptured by what she had to say, promptly sitting on the ground. Even Itachi looked curious and did as instructed.

Shooting the other teen a triumphant look before turning back to her audience, Michiko missed the way Kakashi rolled his eye, leaning into the tree next to him to pay attention.

"Very well, lets start with the basics; Hogwarts is a school where young witches and wizards learn to wield magic-,"

"What is magic?" Itachi quickly interrupted.

"Think of magic as chakra, but, unlike chakra, not everyone possesses it, and those which do are called witches and wizards," Michiko explained.

"Right, so it is a magic school and there are four houses within it-,"

"I though it was a school?" Sasuke said, looking confused.

"It is. In this case houses refers to…clans! Think of houses as clans. And there are four of them within Hogwarts. They are: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each student is sorted into one of this houses when they arrive at the school. There is also a point system, here each student's triumphs ears them points for their house while each time they break a rule, they lose points. The house with the most points at the end of the year wins…," Michiko explained a few more things about Hogwarts and magic before saying:

"So now that we went over the basics, let me tell you the story of a young boy named Harry Potter…"

The teen barely got halfway through the Goblet of Fire when Mikoto and Kushina made their appearance, making them realise just how late it was. And, much to the children's protests, (Itachi and Kakashi kept quiet but felt similarly) Michiko told them that this would have to be it for now, and she could tell them more next time she came to visit.

The poor girl could already feel Toshio's irritation with her.

—.—.—.—

Nearly two weeks passed since Michiko's last visit to Konoha. And, after delivering a scroll to the hospital, the teen thought it a nice idea to go visit family.

Only her visit didn't go as planned, because the moment she stepped foot in the house, Naruto launched himself at Michiko like a rocket. The blond demanded she finish the story. Except, he remembered Sasuke wasn't here.

So they had to get Sasuke, who in turn remembered that they told others the story and that they wanted to hear the rest too. Thus Michiko ended up in the playground again, a gaggle of children already formed around her, with strays that kept popping out of nowhere.

And they weren't just two to three year olds. Oh, no. There were brats of all ages gathered, there were even fresh genin gathered. Heck, a quick chakra scan revealed not only Itachi sitting in the nearby tree, but Shisui and Izumi as well.

Then Michiko was hit by the green beast himself who was: ' _oh, so exited_ ,' and she stared at Kakashi who appeared out of the aether, book in hand, pretending to not give a damn.

'Are those ANBU agents?' the redhead thought aghast, swivelling to face Kakashi fully, waiting for an explanation. She didn't receive one, _of course_.

"What, the actual hell," she muttered, emotions raging from shock, at the sheer number of people present, to impressed at how quick they were at gathering. (A bit over an hour, but, for a bunch of brats, not bad)

Really, Michiko didn't know how to take it, and, when everyone finally settled down, she spent a long moment looking at them. Before shrugging and deciding she didn't want to know. After making sure they were all up to date with the previous events and a very brief reminder of where she left off, the Uzumaki carried on with the story.

Not even the slightest bit aware of Hiruzen listening to the story via his crystal ball. (The man was worse than Michiko at finding excuses _to not_ do paperwork)

It was only when she got to the darker aspects of the story, that Michiko even questioned the ethics of subjecting such young kids to it. Except that this was a shinobi village full of children trained to kill, or who are exposed to such discussions from their parents. She was sure they could take it.

And, even weeks later, you could still spot a group of children waving sticks at each other, pretending to fight invisible foes or one another….well, the power of magic _is_ great.

"So what were you saying about this being irrelevant information, Kakashi?" Michiko asked the masked teen, looking at him smugly the entire time.

"Meh, Slytherin still sounds stupid," the boy replied, avoiding the well aimed kick.

"Say that again, I dare you! I will protect the honour of my house!"

—.—.—.—

 **Bonus snippet, I hope you enjoy it:**

 **—** **Jiraiya is a great author—**

"Come on read it," Michiko said, shoving the bright orange book in the boys face.

"No," was the simple reply she kept receiving.

"Damn it, Kakashi! Jiraiya-sama is a great author, you should feel blessed that he comes from your village," the redhead argued, holding the book between them and looking at it longingly.

"Yes, I am happy that the sannin are from our village, and are _mostly_ on our side. That, however, _does not_ mean I need to worship them or everything they create," the silver haired boy said exasperatedly, putting down the book he was reading about shinobi conduit.

"Bah, look at the garbage you're reading. This, Kakashi. _This_ , is what real literature is like," Michiko said, waving the orange book for further emphasis.

"That is what you said last time you made me read one of Jiraiya-sama's books, and it was utter nonsense," Kakashi said, lazily crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the tree.

(They were actually on a mission together in Cha no Kuni(The Land of Tea) and taking a break)

Michiko gasped dramatically in response, hands, and book, going over her heart:

"You take that back! The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi is a great book! Not that someone like _you_ could appreciate art for what it is. I mean, look at what you choose to read! Anyway," Michiko said, shaking her head sadly, "Icha Icha is completely different! Just give it a try!" the girl wined, pushing the book into the teen's hands.

"No worries, I'll rid you of this trash for free," she then said, grabbing Kakashi's previous book and scattering a good number of its pages it before he had a chance to react.

"Michiko!" The male bellowed.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. Just read Icha Icha. You will thank me for opening your eyes to _real_ literature."

Kakashi eventually read the damn book…he asked Michiko if there was a second one.


	30. Lending a Hand

**Beta: The irreplacable Prince Nemui**

* * *

Michiko was a considerable distance away from the port in which her boat docked, choosing to perform the summoning in a pine tree grove.

Once she ensured nobody was present, she bit her thumb and performed the required seals.

From the cloud of smoke, twelve foxes appeared; barely bigger than their wild counterparts, and with a myriad of fur colours. There was a pure white arctic fox, four grey ones, the golden Tsubaki, five reds, Mitsuki included, and one, _fully,_ black. Kurozumi, the best damn spy Shakudō-rin had to offer. He might have stood out the most in the winter scenery, but he was also the least likely to be spotted.

The redhead explained the situation and her plan, asking them for cooperation. When they all gave it to her, Michiko placed a hiraishin seal on each of them. "This will only be temporary, and I will remove it when we are done," she told them.

"Do not engage with anyone, not unless you are absolutely at risk. I will regularly check on all of you, so your main objective is to find and monitor. Got it? Great, split into pairs and let's go," the teen ordered, Tsubaki and Mitsuki naturally falling in step with her.

They split into six groups, each one taking a different direction. Their time limit for this mission was two weeks, tops. Maybe less depending on how their situation evolved. Michiko didn't want to test their luck or continue a hopeless cause.

Kirigakure might not own the entirety of Mizu no Kuni, but as far as other shinobi were concerned? They might as well own the whole damn place. Same applied to any country with a hidden village. Their ninja might not be found on every square foot of the land, but they could be anywhere, and uncertainty was one of the greatest enemies of a shinobi.

This was one of the reasons Michiko chose to come alone, with only her summons as back up. Sure, every mission is dangerous, and this wouldn't be the first time Michiko sent someone to a foreign country, however those were paid mission to better _their_ developing village.

What she was doing now was a personal mission, and she was not willing to sacrifice anyone for it.

Uzushiogakure and Kirigakure might not be going after each other's throats, which Michiko hoped didn't change, but, there was the small fact of their Yondaime being alive. Yagura, Isobu's jinchūriki. Meaning Obito had Kiri under his thumb. She wondered if that meant Zetsu was monitoring the place…hopefully not.

Michiko didn't really fancy the idea of going there.

And she didn't really fancy the idea of her shinobi going near it.

Hence summons. They could simply leave, returning to their world if things went south while Michiko herself could hiraishin out of a situation.

And considering the parameters of this mission…that would certainly be an indispensable feature. Their job here was to search for any surviving Kaguya members.

Rumour about the Kaguya's backstabbing had spread like wildfire throughout the country, even the port Michiko was docked in knew about it.

Now, Michiko didn't necessarily not believe it, she knew very little —all things considered—about the clan, and, what she did know, all pointed toward the destructive nature of their members.

What Michiko found really hard to believe was that _every single member_ agreed and took part in their attack on Kirigakure. If simply on the pure basis that some were more than likely physically unable to do so.

Not to mention that she could vaguely remember Kimimaro from the series long ago. He was one of Orochimaru's ninja but she remembered that he didn't seem like a ruthless killer. In truth he was one of the main reasons why she had set up this 'search party'.

First, she was certain that he was a child now, or rather young, at least. Second, if Orochimaru hadn't got his hands on him yet, then Michiko refused to allow the snake to do so. Simple.

There were also rather sentimental reasons why she chose to look for Kaguya survivors. When the Uzumaki clan was attacked, and consequently mostly killed off, the survivors wandered around, most to afraid to reveal their lineage for fear of further persecution. That was one of the main reasons Michiko so desperately wanted to see Uzushiogakure rebuilt. So that not only her family, but others like them, could find a place where they didn't have to constantly hide. Where they could walk around, proud of who they were. Unafraid of being punished just for the blood that ran through their veins.

At least that's the kind of village she wanted to build. _That_ , was her dream.

And, if there were surviving Kaguya members, and they were wiling to not jeopardise Uzushio's safety, then Michiko wanted to offer them a new place to live in.

Then, there was also the fact that this event smelled like Obito. Or Zetsu, or Madara. Depends who you wanted to blame.

Michiko was aware that one of Madara/Obito's plans regarding Kirigakure was to foster an environment that promoted negative feelings towards kekkei genkai users. Why? She had no answer for that. Only unproven theories.

But, while the choice to rebel may or may have not been fully up to the Kaguya themselves, their swift execution (not even sparing the young and elderly) sounded scarily like what was to happen to the Uchiha.

A village that was wary of them, a clan that chose to rebel…their elimination which followed.

The Uzumaki girl was not blind to the parallels, and any plan forged by one of those three was a plan Michiko wanted to put a stop to. As much as she could. Because this world was hers too. She was born and subsequently raised here; and Michiko refused to allow anybody hell bent on destroying it to do as they pleased.

Even if she couldn't stop them herself, the redhead was willing to become a thorn in their side, at least till Naruto could do his whole therapy jutsu and kick Kaguya's ass.

—.—.—.—

They were in their second week of searching, and, contrary to Michiko's original belief, their search was not in vain. Inside a cave, frightfully close to Kirigakure, a small cluster of Kaguya survivors were found in their first week of searching.

What was unsurprising was that Kurozumi found them. (The redhead could swear that the fox could sneak into a sensor's room and not be caught)

Their location was not that hard to discover, and Michiko was extremely shocked that Kiri's hunter faction had not done so already. The only real reason why it took Kurozumi nearly a week to find them had more to do with the unfamiliar terrain and time spent travelling. There were only three Kaguya women, mothers, all of them, with children, four in total, far too young to have taken part in the killing their husbands carried out.

They were wary of Michiko, as to be expected, but did not attack. Not because they didn't want to, but because it became painfully obvious most had very little training. That, coupled with the children, toddlers really, answered the question of why they were still so close to Kirigakure, despite two weeks having passed since the massacre.

They didn't trust her offer at first. It took a while, and a hungry child, before the first woman dared to approach her at all. In a way, it felt as if she was dealing with wild animals. Scared, angry and hard to gain the trust of.

Eventually Michiko learnt that the Kaguya head had been planning this rebellion for quite a while. Not everyone agreed, as Michiko suspected, but they were too afraid to say anything. Instead, the group before her admitted to having planned to run away for some time.

They had taken with them only the clothes on their back and as much food as they could easily carry. Their plan was to used the tunnel system their clan had, and try to escape to a port town.

Michiko assumed that this could potentially explain why they were yet to be found. It seemed that there was only one entrance to the tunnels from their clan compound, and it was hidden. Therefore, there was a chance —especially if nobody outside the clan knew— that this could explain why there were no hunter ninja out and about looking for survivors. If Kiri believed they had killed everyone, then they wouldn't necessarily bother to double check.

"Why didn't more try to escape?" She asked the women, only to receive sad looks.

"There might have been more that tried. Maybe they were unsuccessful, or they chose a different exit. The tunnels are easy to get lost in. But…most of the clan wasn't opposed to the rebellion, we have… gotten tired of the way Kiri was looking at us," one of them told her.

The women finally agreed to Michiko's offer, eyeing her frightfully as she materialised her chains.

"In order to teleport someone with me, my chakra must be in contact with them," Michiko quickly explained, attempting to appease them.

She then gently wrapped her chains around them, pushing more chakra into them than normal, made sure they were all set, and hiraishined to Uzushio's hospital.

Once there, Michiko needed a moment to be surprised about the amount of chakra this took.

Hiraishin consumed chakra based on two things: the distance one needed to travel, and the mass of the user and anything else the user might be teleporting with them. The latter was what cost the most chakra, as when it came to distance the chakra cost came from 'opening a portal', from one's current location to the location of the seal in the desired location.

With that said, Michiko had never transported so many people at once before, thus needed a moment to process this new information. Sure, the redhead still had plenty, in all honesty, (ahh, the benefits of large reserves and having a furry neighbour) of chakra to spare, but this was good to know too.

Cutting off the supply of chakra to her chains, Michiko purposefully sought out Marisu and asked her to check the Kaguya she brought, and make sure their health is all right, especially considering how time they spent outside in the winter weather.

That done, she summoned a nearby ninja and had them deliver the news to Toshio. Leaving the older Uzumaki to deal with finding them accommodations.

Michiko was sure to hear about it later from him, she always did. He was practically waiting for any reason to scold her.

—.—.—.—

Michiko had just returned from checking up on the last fox team for today, sitting down by Tsubaki as Mitsuki did one last perimeter check before joining them.

"Nee Michiko, do you think there's anyone left alive?" Tsubaki asked, golden head resting on Michiko's lap, enjoying the feeling of her fingers gently massaging his scalp.

"I don't know Tsubaki…I don't know," the teen sighed dejectedly, head resting on the truck of a tree. She didn't want to think that they were too late and Orochimaru had already sunk his fangs into Kimimaro.

Frankly, in her opinion, nobody was that bad that they deserved to become one of the snake's test subjects…except maybe Zetsu. Michiko really didn't like him.

Tsubaki made a wining sound in the back of his throat, poking Michiko's belly affectionately.

"Your kindness will lead to your downfall, one day." Mitsuki ominously predicted, resting by Michiko's right and laying his head next to Tsubaki's.

"Stop being such a grouch Mitsuki-senpai," Tsubaki whined, eyeing the older fox.

"Quiet, kit. We'll just make sure to save her when the time comes," Mitsuki said tiredly, ignoring the way Michiko drew in a shuddering breath at the words.

He did look up slightly when he felt her pulling him closer to her, noting the tears gathered in her eyes.

"Brat, what are-,"

"Thank you, Mitsuki…thank you." Michiko whispered.

"Guess even senpai has a soft spot," Tsubaki teased, eliciting a snort out of the girl.

—.—.—.—

The following morning Michiko got pounced on by Yoshi, the arctic fox, when she went to check on him. While Mamoru, his grey partner, was nowhere in sight.

Taking the hint that Yoshi expected to be followed, Michiko did just that, after picking up the prey that was clearly the reason the two were separated.

Yoshi gave a grateful wine at the sight before prancing on ahed. They neared a clearing where Michiko noticed Mamoru standing watch. The grey fox turned around when he heard them approaching and came over, winding between Michiko's legs and rubbing his head on them affectionately.

She put down the small critter Yoshi killed and walked to Mamoru's previous position, freezing in place when she saw who he was keeping watch of.

Partially hidden by the trunks of two trees was a child, knees pulled tight to their chest and face resting on them, causing the curtain of white hair to cover the rest of his facial features.

Quickly deciding, Michiko walked into the clearing, her steps purposefully loud so as to not startle the child too much. Although she frowned when the noise didn't seem to make him react.

Michiko reached him, lowering to his level and was about to place a hand on the boy's shoulder, only to blink in surprise as a white knife was placed at her throat.

"Who are you?" his voice drew Michiko's attention away from the knife, only to make contact with the most startling pair of eyes she had ever seen.

Yoshi and Mamoru reacted at the clear threat aimed towards their summoner, moving into position before Michiko's signal pacified them. Somewhat.

The boy's eyes were large and green, a shade that was both soft and vivid, in contrast with his pale skin and the red underlining his eyes. He was dressed in grey clothing and Michiko was attempting to judge the amount of layers he was wearing. Not enough, in her opinion.

"My name's Michiko. What's yours?" she replied in the end, patiently waiting for the child to make up his mind.

It took a couple of moments for him to, hesitantly, lower the knife. Bone, Michiko noted upon closer inspection.

"Kimimaro," he said quietly, confirming the redhead's suspicions. 'So I found him in the end,' Michiko thought in relief, expression growing more gentle as she looked upon the boy who could have ended up as nothing more but another blindly loyal, test subject.

Raising her hand slowly, she watched as the boy tensed, uncertainty showing in his expression while the grip on his weapon tightened. However, instead of striking or harming him in any way, Michiko tenderly placed it on the side of his head.

To say that Kimimaro was confused would certainly not be a lie, and the emotion shone clearly on his face.

"I'm sorry," Michiko says, "I must have scared you quite a bit," Yoshi and Mamoru had reached them by now, warily eyeing Kimimaro as they flanked Michiko.

The young boy opened and closed his mouth, unable to verbalise a response at the kind gesture. Choosing instead to look at Michiko with wide eyes.

There were several things the redhead could have told the child, go straight for the point of her search, instead she said:

"Are you hungry?"

Poor Kimimaro no longer understood what was happening, but nodded anyway.

—.—.—.—

Taking Kimimaro back to Uzushio, or rather leaving him there, did not go as smoothly as it did with his other relatives. Unlike them, he refused to stay, least Michiko herself did, which considering that there were three more days left of her appointed mission, she did not wish to do.

His relatives also didn't seem to want anything to do with the boy. In the end Kimimaro was left in the care of Heiwa, Michiko's secretary, and the two foxes, while Michiko entered her office to face her fate. Another lecture from Toshio.

—.—.—.—

"Maybe you should just stop, it's hard to believe so many escaped as it is. Going back… stop taking unnecessary risks. You need to value your life more, hiraishin doesn't make you untouchable," Toshio told her, hands crossed over his chest and expression serious. He of course took Michiko's return as an opening to scold her for her recklessness.

"It's not like I'm purposely attempting to be a bother, Toshio."

Sighing, he placed a hand on her head, leaning in so his forehead touched hers and said:

"You, are the most exasperating woman I know, which is saying something, since you know my family…our family," he muttered the last bit, face heating up in embarrassment at his little slip.

"Hah, stop complaining, you know you secretly love us all to bits. Seriously, you and Daichi-oji are such _tsunderes_ ," Michiko teased.

"Ugh, what did I do to deserve getting stuck with you," Toshio complained, ignoring Michiko's indignant comeback in order to pin her with his stare:

"You still going to go, aren't you?" the tanned boy asked, dark eyes unreadable as he waited for Michiko's reply.

"I am," she told him seriously.

"Nothing that I can say to change your mind?" Toshio tried for a final time.

"Probably not. I agree with you, and I am not returning just for the sake of searching for more survivors, as you said, it's surprising that so many escaped Kiri as it is. However…Do you remember when I first told you about Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?" The redheaded female asked, causing Toshio to frown in confusion.

"Rather hard to forget," he admitted, recalling the evening in which Michiko spoke about the rabbit Goddess, a strange creature called Zetsu, the birth of the bijū and of the twin brothers. One of them being the sage of the sixth paths himself.

Michiko's retelling was dramatic, and said as if she had no doubt they were real. When asked how she came upon this story, all she would do was smile secretly, refusing to say more. It was one of the inconsistencies regarding her character.

Toshio was aware that Michiko kept secrets, they all were. The biggest tell being the looks Natsumi and Takeshi would share at times when such topics arose.

"The Kaguya women, they told me their clan possessed an extensive tunnel network, as old as their clan, they claimed. Are you not curious about what secrets might be hidden there?" Michiko said, finally turning around to face the older teen.

"You think they might have their archives stored there?" He asked in surprise, more at the fact that Michiko cared so deeply about such things, rather than the thought of the Kaguya keeping their knowledge stored away. It wasn't an uncommon practice, the Uzumaki having done something similar for their more, _delicate_ , knowledge.

What surprised the male was the realisation that Michiko was not, completely altruistic, so to say. Toshio, like many others, forgot —or rather, did not realise— what it meant to lead a village.

Michiko was a bubbly person, full of life and more than happy to share.

There was no doubt that she had a big heart, but the way she portrayed herself…it was easy to forget that she had spent a year at the Daimyō's palace.

That she had been the leader of a village, regardless of how small, since she was thirteen. That she signed and forged alliances with other nations, looked into how to develop Uzushio, enhance its protections.

That Michiko was but a girl when she faced the Kyūbi, and lived to tell the tale. That when she felt that her family, or anyone she cared, for were in danger—she took action. A look in her eyes that promised pain to the perpetrators and anyone who dared to get in her way. (For Toshio could still recall the aftermath of Kumo's betrayal. Michiko's fury was indeed something to avoid)

It was so very easy to forget that Michiko was not quite so oblivious to the way of the world.

"I think it's worth looking into. At least so that they have something of their clan for their children," the girl said, rubbing her temples in an attempt to alleviate her headache. 'And maybe we can find something about Kimimaro's kekkei genkai, the women are clearly going to be of no help,' she thought exasperatedly.

"Must it be done now? You received a letter from Akasaka-sama," Toshio announced, leaning against the opposing wall, noting Michiko's reactions, carefully cataloguing them.

"Is it urgent?" She asked with a groan.

"No."

"Then I will deal with it when I return. Damn nobles," she grumbled, dreaded headache growing, "It's better if I do this now, Toshio. The longer I wait, the higher the chance of Kiri learning of these tunnels. And I don't know about you, but I don't fancy fighting in such close quarters."

Point delivered, Toshio sighed in defeat, going to sit by Michiko before asking:

"And the kid? What are you planning to do about him?"

And wasn't _that_ the question?

—.—.—.—

Exiting Michiko's office, the teen pair was greeted by the sight of Kimimaro playing with Tsubaki, a delighted expression on his face. The redheaded female couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her, while Toshio simply smiled indulgently, memories of his own little siblings doing the same surfacing to his mind.

Michiko nodded her thanks to Heiwa, who was watching them from her desk, before approaching the boy. His expression became immediately more guarded once he noticed Michiko and Toshio, smile vanishing as he unconsciously clutched Tsubaki closer.

"Sorry for making you wait Kimimaro-kun. Were you bored?" Michiko asked him, taking a seat on the ground next to him, Mitsuki getting sandwiched between them as a result.

"I'm being a bother, aren't I?" Kimimaro asked in return, looking down as he said it, stabbing Michiko right in the heart. It was a not so well kept secret that Michiko loved children, and that they were one of her weaknesses.

"Course you're not," she declared confidently, "there was a lot that needed to be discussed. I also thought, if you don't mind that is, that you could live with me and my family," the last bit was said in a rush, Michiko fighting the urge to fiddle with her shirt.

When she took Kimimaro to introduce him to her parents, explaining to the situation, their response was merely a raised eyebrow. Taking the decision in stride without complaint.

It said a lot about how used they were to their odd daughter and her antics. It really did.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all so much for your continual support! The comments for the last two chapters were really encouraging and I am glad you seemed to enjoy the omake.**

 **While writing this I originally planned for something else to happen, but it felt too unrealistic, too** _ **forced**_ **. Instead this came out, which I hope is enjoyable.**

 **Did anyone foresee Kimimaro being adopted into the madness?**

 **I'm also so happy to see Seiichi receive so much positive feedback! Thank you!**

 **: Don't worry I didn't add the munchkin for no reason, there are plans in store for him ;) Lets allow him to grow a bit first though.**

 **Love Stories00: You would assume so wouldn't you? There is something planned for that as well but for now, leader or not, she isn't that well known that random assassins would start coping out.**

 **Dawn over a Lilly** **: Thank you for your feedback! Yes, yes, I know that grammar and spelling are my biggest problem and I'm sorry for when they get in the way of reading. They are my pet peeve as a reader too. However till I have more time I probably won't be able to work much on solving that.**

 **Thank you bearing with me though and reading this story.**

 **Again thank all so much for taking the time to read and tell me your opinions. Your efforts are so, so, appreciated. I would hug you all if I could.**

 **P.S: I didn't totally make up the Kaguya tunnels btw, they seemed to exist based off where they kept Kimimaro.**

 **P.S.S: I began leaving hints about what Michiko is thinking, or rather hoping, to achieve. Anyone catch on?**


	31. The Kaguya

**A/N: I'm touched by all the support people have shown this story TwT! Really I don't know how this happened but I thank you all**

* * *

Returning to Mizu no Kuni Michiko couldn't help but sigh as she travelled south-west, towards Kirigakure, 'Because that was everyone's number one tourist location.' Images of 'what if' popping in her head every now and then as she silently agreed with Toshio's assessment of being crazy, _slightly_.

This time she travelled alone, Mitsuki having returned to Shakudō-rin while Tsubaki stayed behind with Kimimaro. She ensured that the rest of the foxes knew they could dismiss themselves, thanking them for their hard work.

Keeping to the confines of the forest as she travelled, Michiko kept an eye out for anything that could match the Kaguya women's description of the tunnel entrance. It would have certainly taken longer if the redhead didn't know exactly what to look for, finding the right cave a bit before sunset. The cave was nothing grand, in fact, it could have easily been an animal's home. Certainly not an odd sight in the country. Though, just as the women said, at the top of the cave's entrance two too perfectly circular fissures could be seen.

Inside she had to walk a bit before reaching the steps which descended deeper underground, requesting the use of a flashlight in order to see. While wandering through the maze of tunnels Michiko left behind chakra imprints so she didn't have to wander through the same corridor twice.

Three dead ends, one thankfully empty prison, (Weren't the warring times delightful? 'Not that there was much difference at the moment') and Michiko found herself following a draft of wind, leading her to a trapdoor which once opened revealed a large room, barred of any furnishing or decorations save for the two large red circles painted on the wall. The Kaguya clan's symbol.

Making an appreciative humming noise at her discovery, Michiko took note of the stars before casually surveying the house she was in.

She did find a few scrolls in a study of sorts, but they were mainly about clan politics and budget so Michiko let them be. There were two scrolls, neatly labelled, containing explanations about some for of taijutsu that she took, sealing them within her own scroll, before deciding that she shouldn't test her luck any further for tonight.

The Kaguya clan's compound was situated on the outskirts of Kirigakure which decreased the chance of being spotted significantly. But the massacre didn't happen so long ago and random patrols might still be required to make their rounds through here, if only to make sure nob else wandered inside.

With that in mind Michiko took to the tunnels once again, after mapping and checking some of the nearby tunnels the teen began sealing off certain pathways using a combination of earth release and fūinjutsu, so when Kirigakure finally becomes aware of the tunnels, the only ones they will have access too will hold no information of value.

The girl must have spent hours wandering through the deserted maze, time having lost it's meaning in the darkness. Annoyed that another day was wasted in a fruitless search, Michiko once again started sealing off the tunnels she had already been through before making her way back outside.

Once out she took advantage of the extra space in order to stretch her muscles, yawning as the early morning sun warmed her exposed skin. With one last look at the tunnel entrance Michiko took out a three pronged kunai, twirling it lazily before flinging it at the cave wall. Satisfied when it embedded itself in the rock and with the work she had done so far Michiko returned to Uzushio, intent on sleeping for the next few hours and staying there this time.

She would have to pick out a team and send them to investigate the rest of the tunnels because as much as the Uzumaki wouldn't have minded doing it herself she had other responsibilities as well which took priority. Plus she was satisfied having reduced the chances of her ninja encountering Kiri ones while exploring the Kaguya's underground passages.

—.—.—.—

"You've improved Kimimaro-kun. However, you are still getting this kanji wrong," Michiko pointed out gently to the child next to her, watching as he frowned at the kanji in question, eyebrows drawn together in concentration as he compared what he wrote to the dictionary before him.

It has been nearly two months since Michiko found Kimimaro and while there was no improvement between his relationship with his blood family, the boy seemed to be getting used to the village well enough. Much like in the very beginning he preferred Michiko's company over that of others and would seek out to spend s much time with her as he could. Therefore, instead of having him hovering around uncertainly, the redhead made space in her office for the boy to stay in as she did her work and he worked on his reading and writing. This way Toshio also couldn't complain anymore about Michiko not doing her work.

The child was no bother to the teen as he simply happy being in the same room, keeping quiet most of the time while she worked so as to not disturb her. Not that it stopped Michiko from taking breaks in order to talk with the boy, asking Heiwa to bring them tea every now and then.

Like right now, as Michiko reviewing one of the reports sent in by her ninja and labelled it accordingly. There was an increase in work to be done as it was decided that Uzushio would take part in next year's international chūnin exam. Making it the first one Uzushio would take part in. It was no coincidence that it would be hosted in Konohagakure, the young redhead having chosen this particular exam specifically for that very reason. And despite not being around the corner preparations for such an event, in their circumstances, took much more time to organise, especially as they had no established system to fall on. The current graduation class had to be assessed to decide which ones were more likely to be ready for the exams. Financial costs had to be taken into account and ,funnily enough, Michiko even had to look at the promotional aspect. Uzushio had been rather inactive on the international scale even after its reestablishment. Few people took them seriously and the redhead had a year to build up the hype about them entering in order to attract new prospective clients. Hence why they were also taking the team selection very seriously. They needed to have their genin make it to the finals if they wanted any chance at impressing upon others that _they were not_ playing the village version of ' _house'_.

They were only planning on sending eight teams, all having had most of their training done by a parent or carer beforehand, spending only the last few years in ' _formal_ ' shinobi training at Uzushio's academy. It would be a few more years before the first graduation class that was entirely trained at their academy would graduate, the village still being in its early stages and compromised of people who sought refuge here.

After all, they were still a patchwork village so to say, made out of people from various places that didn't fit _quite_ right. But they were getting there. Slowly, but the signs of it happening were apparent. People were not only living here now anymore but were setting down roots, starting their families, businesses building making bonds with one another. The villagers were steady growing less wary of one another, beginning to help one another instead and intermingle more. Friendships were being made, relationships established and slowly, _slowly_ , they would be able to call themselves a 'true' village while holding their head high.

"Is this it?" Kimimaro's hesitant question bought Michiko out of her musing looking down at the green eyed child and sending him a soft smile before surveying his work. His handwriting could use some —'a lot'— of help but he at least got the kanji right this time.

"That is exactly right Kimimaro-kun," the teen praised, ruffling his hair and watching as a simple bloomed on the child's face.

A knock on her door broke their little bubble and Michiko called the person in, giving a groan as Toshio came in with _more_ paperwork.

"Can't you ever bring me something fun?" she whined childishly, glaring at the scrolls he deposited on her desk without a care.

"How are your studies coming along Kimimaro-kun?" he asked instead, completely ignoring Michiko as he glanced over the boys scribble filled papers. "Hmm, not bad," the male redhead hummed, unconsciously patting the child's head.

"Oy don't ignore me when I'm speaking with you!" Michiko continued, red eyes narrowed upon Toshio's unimpressed look.

"Stop acting like a brat, do you work and _stop_ finding excuses not to do it, idiot," was his harsh reprimand before picking Michiko up and dropping her unceremoniously in her chair. Once done he turned to Kimimaro and said very seriously:

"Don't pick up on her bad habits kid," before turning around and marching out of the office hands behind his head as he closed the door with his foot.

—.—.—.—

Michiko travelled the well lit corridors of the research building, slowly descending further down into the cryptology team's section. Once inside she greeted the people that stood up to do the same before telling them not to bother with such formalities here.

She made her way toward a short-haired brunette, who stood separated from the rest, before asking:

"Any developments?"

"None Michiko-sama, I apologise but we have been able to decipher half of the cypher," the male told her seriously. Sighing a bit in disappointment before sending the man a reassuring smile Michiko said:

"Mah, I guess these things really can't be rushed. Don't worry about it Mori-san, though please do keep me updated all right?"

"Of course, I apologise for the time it's been taking me to get this information for you," he replied formally, bowing his head a bit.

"I should also be apologising to you Mori-san, after all I'm the one that ordered this work be done in secret so your team is rather small," the redhead mentioned, gesturing with her hand at the room where only three other people could be found. Papers were placed about haphazardly, birds were filled with notes and diagrams and several empty, or nearly cups of coffee could be spotted around the room.

Two weeks ago Michiko received an urgent missive from the team which was currently going through the Kaguya tunnels. Teleporting there she was greeted by one of the ninja who then proceeded to escort her through the tunnels. By now many have been sealed off as progress was being made. Michiko was escorted to a particular location, the entrance of which was guarded by two other ninja, both who stood straight to greet the young redhead.

"You have requested that this mission be classified, so we have attempted to keep the leakage of information to a minimum even amongst ourselves," the man told her as the entered the large chamber. Torches have been placed strategically to illuminate the room without damaging what was inside and Michiko was left frozen in place.

Before her, at the very end of the chamber, the painting of a woman with long growing hair and pupil-less eyes greeted her. The colours were faded and the painting itself was rather crudely done, however Michiko would have had a good guess of who this was even without the large red ball painted in the centre of the woman's forehead.

The rest of the chamber was filled with shelves upon shelves of documents and scrolls, some looking so old and worn out that Michiko feared touching them would cause them to crumble. She thanked the ninja for their worked and told them to take a break, the polite 'get out' understood very well by everyone as they did what she requested.

'So they did know,' Michiko thought to herself as she walked closer to the painting, 'or at least they knew _something_.' Narrowing her eyes the redhead crouched down to look at the base of the painting, trying to make out the faded kanji written there:

 _"_ _The moon shall be the one to bring about the destruction of all."_

"Tsk," Michiko hissed, hands balling by her side. ' _They knew._ '

—.—.—.—

Everything inside the room was carefully removed and transported back to Uzushio. When all was said and done she thanked the ninja she picked for this mission, reminding them that they _could not_ breathe a word about any of this to anyone.

Right before leaving it and ensuring everyone was out, Michiko looked on towards the cave with impassive eyes before bringing her right hand up in a familiar sign. The ground rocked with the explosion, the cave also crumbling as its floor gave out. The rest of her shinobi watched on with wide eyes, turning questioning gazes towards Michiko:

"Michiko-sama! This way Kiri would know someone—," one of them tried to say.

"It's is better this way," she interrupted him, waiting from the tremors to settle down. 'I'd rather them know someone has been there than risk Zetsu ever discovering that room. Or rather realise that someone else did,' she thought.

Turning around Michiko barked an order to the shinobi to prepare themselves as she teleported them away.

A single kunai forgotten among the rubble.

—.—.—.—

Some of the scrolls were illuminating, while other not so much. As a matter of fact, a large proportion of the scrolls and books discovered were nothing more than clan records. Useless to her but apparently rather precious for the survivors who gratefully thanked Michiko for all she had done for them.

The majority of the scrolls were returned to the survivors, in exchange, Michiko demanded that Kimimaro be given access to them whenever he wanted, much to their apprehension.

The only scrolls Michiko never returned to them —and kept it _mostly_ a secret— were the ones dealing with the Shikotsumyaku which she viewed as belonging to Kimimaro as the only known wielder of the kekkei genkai, the medical records discovered, which were subsequently added to the medical library and the ones referring to _Kaguya_. Some were incomplete and some were complete gibberish to Michiko's utter annoyance. Not to say that valuable information wasn't gathered as well, which was bound to help in the future when she would have to tell people about Kaguya and about the real purpose of the infinite tsukuyomi. There were, however, some documents which were encrypted, to the girls surprise. Those were the ones she asked Mori and his team to crack, the results yet to be achieved.

—.—.—.—

A year whent by and spring was heading towards its end as the summer season approached, bringing with it the ever approaching chūnin exams. It was during this period that a rather interesting missive was brought to Michiko.

Sealed with Oni no Kuni's (The Land of Demon's) crest, Michiko couldn't help the curiosity she felt. This particular country was not on this continent, finding itself neighbours with countries such as Kagi no Kuni (The Land of Keys) and Numa no Kuni (The Land of Swamps). Uzushio had no dealings with said country in recent history thus receiving such a formal letter from the stretch her as odd.

She unconsciously hummed in thought as she untied the scroll and broke the wax seal, eyebrows raising in surprise as she finished reading the scroll. Fingers drumming on her desk while she thought the girls stared at the scroll, before calling Heiwa to her office.

"Yes Michiko-sama?" the blonde woman asked.

"Please have someone let Daichi-oji know that he needs come here immediately," the eighteen year old ordered, straightening up in her chair as she thought about what needed to be done.

"Of course Michiko-sama, anything else?"

"…please send for Toshio as well," Michiko mumbled, already imagining the look she was about to get.

* * *

 **A/N: OMG 2 months and 2 days since my last update. I'm so sorry for all of you that waited for this crappy chapter but exams are now over, prom is over and my last uni interview is also over so I should be back in business!**

 **Honestly, thank you all so much for having stuck with this mess of a story so far and even taking the time to comment and express your opinion, it means a lot and I take everything you all tell me very seriously. Really, I think I cried a bit from all the kind words and encouragement.**

 **EXITING NEWS:**

 **of the previous 30 chapters have been Beta read by the illustrious Prince Nemui and I am in the process of replacing the old ones with the corrected ones. It is taking a bit as I am reading over them and tweaking certain things pertaining to the story and Michiko's characterisation to bring her closer to how she is in my mind. So far the betaed chapters uploaded are 1-11; 15-17; 29-30, rest are coming!**

 **2.I have commissioned a lovely artist to draw 2 versions of Michiko for me. However, they will be of the older Michiko, or rather the Michiko as she would appear in the 'cannon' timeline. If you go on my DeviantART page (same username: Mewrlise) I have an OC sketches folder in my gallery where I uploaded Michiko's outfit designs if curious. Someone once asked about something like that so here we go!**

 **3\. Michiko has a Naruto OC Wiki page! Just type Uzumaki Michiko and she is there! the information is not complete as I did not wish to add spoilers.** HOWEVER **there are links both on that page and my profile page there which do link to information which contains spoilers for this story mind you. I only mention it because I made a Sims 4 version of Michiko which I posted there lol**

 **Illuminated:Oh Kami, no, do not worry I am most certainly not pairing those two together. Kimimaro is more like a pseudo-son to Michiko, or little brother**

 **intata: I am now paying triple attention to 'though' and 'thought' sorry to you all for my crap spell checking abilities! Thank you so much for your kind words *cries***

 **SimplyLokajad: yes my friend, I like how your mind works :D**

 **HeartLuvAnimeGirl: Thank you! And in regards to Michiko pairings, since this has come up quite a bit. I may hint or toy with the idea but her romantic life will never really be _important_ for the story :( I confess, when I first came up with this story plot, at the very beginning, I envisioned her with Zabuza...yeah I know. But yeah, to be honest, at least in this 'world' I don't know, or think, I will pair her with anyone at the end. But hey who knows? The story keeps evolving the more I write and think of the plot. **

**Question Time!**

 **If you _could_ pair Michiko with _anyone_ (why not end on this topic?)who would it be? Why? **

**My Answer:**

 **Madara...yeah take a moment to process and envision this. Now this WILL NOT happen in this story of course. But yeah if this was crack or whenever I do think of her with anyone it is Madara. I actually have an entire AU where Michiko was reborn during the warring era. Through a series of events over the course of the years she meets and subsequently falls in love with Madara. The clan finds out but instead of killing her Ashina banishes her. She marries Madara before the formation of Konoha and is assimilated in the Uchiha clan eventually. Their first son is Mamoru and he is born in the early days of Konoha. Madara is still tricked by Zetsu and leaves Konoha, unaware Michiko was pregnant with their second son Isamu. yada, yada. See? obsessed with this pairing.**

 **Anyway I hope you still enjoyed this chapter and the little plot I left you with at the end ;)**


	32. Monster Island

**New cover!**

 **And, and…*trumpets***

 **official art of Michiko!**

 **You can go on my deviantart account (Mewrlise) and go to favourites, my commission folder and see Michiko there in two versions!**

 **One if the full body of the Michiko on the cover, while the other is the full body of Michiko in Uzushio's standard gear. (which is what I imagine when you will see things like: 'decked in the standard uniform)**

* * *

After finalising their goodbyes, Michiko and the shinobi accompanying her, left Uzushio and headed east, towards one of Uzu's many port towns. It was early in the day and the aim was to arrive there before nightfall and have enough time to negotiate with some sailors for a ride to Ōkami no Kuni* (The land of wolves). From there they would continue making their way east towards Oni no Kuni (The land of demons) where Miroku, their priestess was waiting for their arrival.

The missive which came the previous day was from her, the woman calling upon the Uzumaki clan for help relating to the weakening seal of a particular demon. It would seem that their ancestors had dealt with each other in the past and with them no longer in hiding the woman felt compelled to ask for assistance.

Unable to ignore this, and being one of the few people capable of going, Michiko made the necessary arrangements to do so, which included some resigned grumbling from Toshio and some super fast paperwork completing.

Once done the eighteen year old made sure everyone knew what they were meant to be doing, said her goodbyes to her family and friends, setting out with her team.

Accompanying Michiko were her uncle Daichi and two of her shinobi: Hōseki Midori, a woman six years the redheads senior, with flowing dark green hair and eyes, who was proficient at medical ninjutsu and had wicked aim.

She was the granddaughter of a previous Uzushiogakure shinobi, Hōseki Ao, a man forced to flee his beloved home in order to save his family. An act which Michiko didn't condemn him for. The two showed up in her office a few years back, not long after she returned from Asahama and the old man was determined to return to field duty, a form of penance Michiko thought. Although, much to the man's —and his granddaughter's— initial resentment, the young Uzushio leader could not allow that in good consciousness. Thus, she proposed an alternative and made the man an academy instructor so that the future generations might still beneficiate from his experience.

It was only after this that Midori's opinion of Michiko slowly changed, till the older female finally accepted Michiko as her leader. Going so far as to enhance her basic medical ninjutsu in order to be of better assistance for the redhead.

Then there was Yuki Rahyō. A man with dark hair, a large build and a beard worthy of a second look. He was somewhat temperamental, easy to anger, but a strong fighter and capable of keeping his cool when necessary. Michiko had a feeling that the man wasn't too fond of her per see, though he respected her enough to listen to orders. Or he feared his sister enough to listen to Michiko's orders.

Like his name implied, he was from the Yuki clan of Kirigakure and one of the village's previous shinobi. He fled with his sister, Kahyō, in search for a better life, when Kiri's attitudes towards kekkei genkai users started to change. Their clan having been on the receiving end of more than a single attack from the very people they served and protected. Initially, they settled in Nami no Kuni (The Land of Waves) where they kept a low profile, living as civilians and hiding their kekkei genkai from others. They only moved to Uzushio when they realised that the shinobi lifestyle was too integrated into their being for them to make a full change. Kahyō was the one who chose Uzushio after learning of their tolerant nature regarding Kekkei genkai user was the one who personally asked Michiko to be permitted to live here with her brother despite being missing-nins —as far as Kiri was concerned—. She was the one, out of the two siblings, who seem to really respect Michiko, though the redhead genuinely wonders how that happened. The curly haired woman was easily one of the strongest —if not the strongest— ninja currently within their village, possessing a mastery over her bloodline like nothing Michiko had seen till now.

Thus it wasn't surprising to see that Rahyō often deferred to his sister in most matters.

The two were selected for Michiko more as guards than anything else should things go wrong and Daichi and Michiko are left in a vulnerable position, unable to defend themselves.

The missive from Oni no Kuni requested that only members from the Uzumaki clan come assist with strengthening the seal over their demon. As a result, only Michiko and Daichi could really go. Technically Natsumi was also qualified for this mission, however Seiichi was still a toddler in need of his mother, therefore Michiko couldn't send her mother.

Ayaka, although more than qualified, lived in Konoha and adhered to its rules now, meaning that Michiko couldn't just scoop her up and send her on a mission. Not to mention that although her age did not affect her mastery in fūinjutsu, it did impair her ability to travel long distances somewhat. Everyone else, while able to use fūinjutsu, did not have the required knowledge for the more…delicate nature of sealing asked of this mission. The twins were also too young and Toshio was the only one Michiko trusted to oversee things in Uzushio in her absence.

This only left Daichi and Michiko for the job and should anything happen while, let's say, they were busy handling the seal, then the two would be left vulnerable as more complex seals required complete concentration and often could not be interrupted without serious consequences. Thus Midori and Rahyō.

Their journey went off without a problem and took part in relative silence till they reached the harbour town. Once there, Michiko worked her charm and the teen secured them a fishing boat that was headed towards Ōkami no Kuni anyway to make a delivery. There wasn't much space in the boat so they had to rest on the deck, which wasn't exactly ideal for one back but oh well.

It did, at leat, provide Michiko with ample time to meditate and annoy Kurama so that was a plus.

—.—.—.—

On their second morning, the makeshift group was seen enjoying breakfast with the fishermen, mainly listening to their gossip with half a year till one of them said something that pricked Michiko's curiosity.

"Monster Island?" the girl asked in curiosity, eyes suddenly sharp with focus and gleaming in wonder. 'I've got a bad feeling about this,' Daichi thought in a deadpan as he watched Michiko's expression.

"Mah, mah, it a sailor's scary story miss, or something of the like," one of the men said. "It refers to on of the island in this sea, which is rumoured to host a myriad of monsters that some claimed to have seen, though I don't think there is really much to it," he continued.

"No way is it false. Sotaru saw it with his own eyes," another one imputed, waving his chopsticks for extra emphasis.

"Sotaru is a drunk, I wouldn't be surprised if he dreamt up the whole encounter," the first sailor rebutted.

"That may be, however it is true that ships have sunken around that area for no apparent reason," a newcomer added.

"Captain!"greeted the fishermen, calmly echoed by the ninja afterwards.

"Ships got sunk?" the female redhead questioned curiously, looking at the man expectantly.

"Indeed, whether monsters truly exist or not matter's little. Either way, you can't help but be more paranoid passing through here," the male explained as he took a chair

"Oh! So this island is nearby?" Michiko asked excitedly, adding only to Daichi's increasing worry.

"You like these sort of stories don't you Miss?" a sailor joked, while the captioned chuckled before responding:

"Further North, we won't be too far from it, I'll point it out to you when we get near if you want," the man offered, while Michiko nodded, completely ignoring the looks she was receiving from her teammates.

It wasn't till a few hours later that the relative peace of the boat was disturbed by the ship's captain calling out for Michiko:

"Ah Miss there it is to your left, though, I'm not sure how well you can see it"

Following said man's directions Michiko turned to look towards the left, just about spotting the outline of an island in the far distance. Humming to herself in thought, the teen nearly unconsciously focused her senses. 'That feeling…,' she thought with narrowed eyes, walking closer to the boat's railing.

"Michiko-sama is something the matter?" Midori questioned, coming closer to the girl. Looking in the direction of the island she couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary that would cause Michiko's expression to change. Then again the female redhead was also the only sensor on this ship.

At the very least her question drew Daichi and Rahyō's attention towards the duo. However, as though nothing happened, Michiko's expression turned sunny and she skipped over towards the captain.

"Thank you so much for everything Odagawa-san! Here, as promised your pay," she told the man cheerfully, placing the agreed upon money in his hand, despite his obvious confusion and protests.

The teen returned to Midori's side, and after thanking everyone on board…vaulted over the railing.

Never mind that the people on board stared at the spot she previously occupied with various degrees of shock and confusion displayed on their face.

Midori was the first to follow Michiko's example after extending her own thanks, gracefully landing on the water's surface before taking off in her leader's direction. Rahyō was next, followed after by Daichi who took a moment to bemoan his fate: 'She's Takeshi's daughter all right.'

Racing across the water's surface the three were compelled to follow in Michiko's footsteps:

"What is the meaning of this Michiko?" Daichi demanded, somewhat angry with her.

"You're so boring Daichi-oji. You heard the fishermen...it's a monster island! Aren't you the least curious about it?" the girl inquired innocently, looking at Daichi as though he was the insane one.

"Cu—we're on a mission! _And,_ our client is someone—" "Oh stop worrying over petty things," Michiko dismissed, interrupting the flabbergasted man mid sentence.

"Not to mention that we were never given a time frame for _when_ we are meant to get there. It just said soon," she added at the end.

"Nevertheless, I must express my own curiosity Michiko-sama. What compelled you to switch course and head towards the island?" Midori asked, preventing Daichi from starting another tirade.

'Like she needs a reason,' he thought in annoyance, looking at Michiko as an image of Toshio popping into his head suddenly: 'I feel so sorry for you son…good luck with, _that_.'

"Summons," Rahyō spoke for the first time in a while, voice flat and expression unchanging. Although his eyes _did_ briefly flicker towards Michiko, looking for confirmation.

"Summons?" Daichi asked, pausing mid-mind rant, to mull over the given information.

"Most likely," Michiko confirmed, joyful expression gone, replaced by a much more contemplative one. "I sensed quite a few chakra signals that aren't human but they are rather… _developed_?" the word said more like a question.

"Even so, I don't see why this island poses such curiosity, regardless of whether or not summons live on it," Daichi continued uncertainly, now giving Michiko's odd decision more thought.

"Well…it's not the summons per se that made me curious," the girl confessed, "but the humans on the island certainly pique my interest," she finished saying.

"The humans?" Rahyō frowned in confusion. "Mhm, summons don't particularly like having humans on their land, so this is quite peculiar. Not to mention…I also don't particularly like _possible_ unknown threats," the female said ominously, causing the other three to straighten their backs slightly and their focus to sharpen.

'Maybe Michiko isn't as random as I think,' Daichi thought with a frown.

—.—.—.—

Reaching the island the group of four wasn't given much respite before they were attacked by a giant lizard-like creature. Followed by a giant purple spider, then…some sort of crab, a huge venomous lizard and a cockroach. Yes, a cockroach. A bloody, huge, disgusting cockroach. 'I wonder if I should let the Aburame clan know of this place,' she wondered, picturing the bug wielding clan having massive versions of said insects…not a pleasant thought.

"Well, monster island indeed," Michiko commented in a deadpan, rather annoyed by this point.

"To think humans actually live here…," Midori trailed off, scrunching her nose in distaste. They were near the centre of the island, close to where the volcano lay, passing on their way what was unmistakably living quarters. Other buildings were soon revealed to be workspaces, studies and from snooping around the shinobi group could deduce that this was a research facility.

And it had nothing to do with the laboratories they found or the people in white coats walking about. No, nothing at all…yeah right.

" _Still_ , think it was useless to come here Daichi-san?" Midori teased, rather pleased with Michiko's intuition. Her only reply were some grumbled words as the green haired woman continued to tease the man.

The four of them explored the island further and if not for the fact that she could sense their chakra Michiko might just consider this place abandoned. Well, that and the fact that the facilities they ran into were rather well kept. There were a total of twelve people on this island, most spread out among the various facilities but five. Who from the feel of things, were clustered together in the volcano's region, where the source of the oddest chakra was originating from.

It was truly peculiar, the redhead having never felt a chakra signature behaving like this one. Many of the _animals_ they encountered or saw from a distance looked more like the product of hybridisation rather than natural selection, coupled with the research facilities they encountered…lets just say Michiko was willing to bet a lot on money on her theory being correct.

Which leads on to the question of why they were doing this or _who_ was benefiting from their research. After all, nobody asked Michiko or any of their shinobi if they were interested in any summons, and a lot of these creatures looked like they would be a real pain to fight alongside their summoner.

Not to mention that the chakra she was detecting was larger than anything else found on the island. (Jinchūriki and their bijū not counted in this statement)

Figuring that there wasn't much else to see on this island other than whatever it was the mad scientists were up to, and check _that_ out, Michiko instructed the other three to follow her as they ran through the foliage, making their way to the base of the volcano as a large pulse of chakra was emitted, making even the other three pause, having sensed it.

An unspoken agreement passed through the group as they increased their speed, following the now erratic chakra signatures Michiko was shocked when it guided her up the volcano, pausing when they reached the top till Daichi pointed towards an entrance.

They could hear the screams now, spurring the ninja further in an attempt to reach them on time. Bursting inside the lab they couldn't even spare enough time to be properly disguised by the thing attacking the researchers. Golden sealing formulas, danced around the beast, binding to it, attempting to restrain it. Even though Michiko spared only a moment looking at it, she could tell; it wasn't strong enough to hold that thing.

And it broke free.

Rahyō was the first to act, creating a wall of ice which prevented the creatures tentacles from reaching the lone girl in the centre of the room and the two men behind her. Michiko attempted to save the other two already in the thing's grasp, only to watch in mute horror as they were absorbed, just about avoiding another tentacle aimed towards her.

Rahyō's out of character exclamation of surprise drew the redheads' attention to the action happening behind her, noting, like everyone else, that his ice wall was steadily disappearing.

'It's absorbing chakra!' Michiko thought in surprise, looking towards Daichi as the man landed beside her.

"Ninjutsu is not going to work on that thing," Daichi said calmly.

"Not if it will keep absorbing the chakra," she agreed.

"Anyone care to make a contract with this thing?" Midori chimed in from the other side of the room, receiving Michiko's best disgusted expression in return.

"Either way, we need to immobilise it somehow," Daichi continued, ignoring the green haired kunoichi.

"Hmm…" she hummed, thoughts racing to come up with a plan, "-the lava!" the teen exclaimed, watching as Rahyō attempted to use his sword to cut off the things tentacles, though the danger of being absorbed by it, made it rather difficult to find opportunities to strike.

"Midori, take those three to safety," the eighteen year old ordered, motioning to the men and girl who were watching the unfolding scene in horror. One of the males, who Michiko assumed to be a researcher, kept stuttering out things which the redhead was too far away to hear, or even particularly care about at the moment, but complied easily with Midori's orders. Following the green haired woman as they were ushered out of the lab.

Right before the four exited, Michiko made eye contact with the girl, —'sixteen, seventeen years old?'— red eyes clashing with worried obsidian ones. The teen gave the girl a reassuring nod, watching from the corner of her eyes till the final strands of red hair fully disappeared.

Throwing a tagged kunai at the monster for good measure, the small explosion effectively enraging the thing enough to ignore the retreating forms and focus on the three shinobi still inside.

"What's the plan?" Rahyō questioned tonelessly, eyes glaring at the approaching tentacle.

'Kami this thing is ugly,' Michiko thought in disgust, jumping backwards 'It reminds me of a tentacled version of…what was his name? Java? Jabba?'

"Daichi, immobilise it, Rahyō you assist him," the girl ordered, she reaching for the large scroll strapped to her back that she has been carrying all this time. Pulling it out and unfurling it, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Despite Michiko's lack of explanation the two went to do as told, Rahyō using his ninjutsu to distract the beast despite its ability to absorb chakra, while Daichi took a position behind it, sending his chains to wrap around the beast, pumping more chakra into them to keep them from disappearing as the creature absorbed the chakra in them.

This was another reason why Daichi was chosen for the mission. The adamantine sealing chains were an Uzumaki hidden technique and could be learned by anyone in their clan —and outside of it, _technically_ — however, that was not the case. The chains were actually a high-level fūinjutsu. Originally, if one could decompress the chains they would see that they are actually fūinjutsu chains that through the aid of chakra are compressed and formed into thick chains. It required a more sophisticated understanding of fūinjutsu in order to work, otherwise, the technique would be unstable and lack in power.

Acting while the thing could no longer move, Michiko placed the revealed seal on the creature, biting her thumb and smearing the resulting blood in the centre of the seal, watching as the ink took off the paper, extending over the slimy body of the summoning creature, encircling it till it could no longer move. Once the seal took full effect they all took a step back surveying their work and looking from one another.

"I'm not touching it," Michiko declared childishly, simply summoning her chains to wrap around the thing. Having sealed the monster's chakra, it was unable to suck up anymore and was a rather easy journey till the entrance of the lab, from which the redheaded female stood as she threw the thing inside the volcano.

"Well wasn't that fun?" she asked sarcastically, receiving equally blank looks from both males before the trio made their way down the volcano, back to Midori and the survivors.

Except that they multiplied during the time they were separated and now a group of nine researchers plus the girl awaited them.

"I take it that the thing is gone?" Midori questioned as she approached her team, the redheaded girl following a few steps behind her.

"Mah, mah, what do you take us for Midori-chan?" Michiko teased the elder woman, chuckling at her predicted sputtering before turning her attention to the other girl.

"So, what's your name?" she asked directly, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth when the girl realised she was addressed.

"H-Honoka," the new redhead answered before suddenly bowing low from the waist, taking the ninja by surprise.

"Thank you very much for saving us!" she exclaimed, face still directed towards the ground. A quick look up revealed the other researchers also adopting a similar position, murmuring their own gratitude.

"Ah, no-it's fine, please raise your heads," the teen quickly said, waving her hand for emphasis. Not that they could see that.

"Thank you very much for saving these three for us shinobi-san," a portly man came forward and addressed them, coming to stand by Honoka.

"Well, that wasn't a problem," Daichi answered, scratching the back of his neck in a fashion similar to that of Toshio when he is flustered. "But what was that thing?" Which was exactly what Michiko wanted to know too.

"That," the man said sadly, eyes lowered to the ground, "was the Ultimate Summoning Beast," he declared.

'This isn't an appropriate time to laugh is it?' Michiko wondered, externally portraying a sombre expression at the news.

The man proceeded to explain how he and his team originally came to this island simply to study the various creatures which lived on it. They quickly realised that many of them could be of use to shinobi as contracted beast, however as demand grew for stronger beasts they began experimenting, creating various hybrids till one day they were asked for the ultimate summoning beast.

"Such a thing, of course, does not exist. That's why I knew we had to create it ourselves. It took many years to get as far as we did…" at which point he trailed off, waving his hand slowly as if to say "you know the rest."

"I see…," Michiko murmured, eyes narrowed in thought, "Kojou-san was it?" she questioned waiting for his confirmatory nod, "If you wouldn't mind, I am rather curious to hear about these shinobi asking for summoning beasts," the redhead said a tad too sweetly, demeanour clearly stating that he doesn't have much of a choice.

"O-of course! That is no—," "Excellent," she interrupted him, "but before we get to that…" she said, whirling around to face her team, "you three scavenge these labs, find everything you can about this ultimate summoning thing and destroy it," she ordered, ignoring the protests which arose immediately with her declaration.

"You can do this," one of them kept repeating, approaching Michiko angrily. "Do you know how many years we spent—" "My apologies, but am I giving off the impression that I care? That thing killed _your_ friends, did it not?" she demanded, pinning him with her stare. A small amount of killing intent leaking out of her, just enough to cause them all to freeze in place and their protests to die down.

"Frankly, it would have killed everyone in that lab," Michiko carried on, "and who knows, it could have exited and killed the rest of you too, am I wrong? Neither outcome wouldn't have affected me, our my team in any way. However, I can't allow such knowledge, incomplete though it may be, to remain. Say you did succeed or you died and years later someone found your work and perfected it. That outcome could prove problematic in the future and I will not allow a possible threat to my village and people be left alone. So you can either help or stay out of the way. But _do not_ think that I will not react if you get in the way. I will burn down this whole island if I must, is that clear?" she asked coldly, her red eyes sweeping over each frightened individual in turn, waiting for their decision.

Retracting her intent she waited one more moment to make sure her words sunk into the frightened researchers before allowing Kojou to escort her to his office where they could discuss who he provided in more detail.

Before leaving, Michiko took one last glimpse at the other red haired girl. Making eye contact for a brief moment.

—.—.—.—

It was nearly evening before the shinobi were satisfied that all the research pertaining the 'ultimate summoning beast' was destroyed. _And_ if other pieces of research were also _accidentally_ destroyed…oh well, they weren't going to spend time reading through everything and the scientists could have helped more.

Michiko looked on as most of the researchers shuffled their belongings, preparing for their own departure. Seeming to think that their life was worth more than the creation of summoning beasts. However, her real focus lay on Honoka which seemingly attempted to shadow her for a while, looking as though she wanted to say something but couldn't. Thus Michiko pretended she didn't notice the other redhead, giving her time to gather her courage and approach her first.

"Aa-ano…Michiko-sama?" the questioned muttered came from behind the teen, causing her to turn around, facing the younger looking redhead.

"Honoka-chan?" she replied in like, watching as the girl fidgeted with the ends of her obi ribbon.

"I-I want to come with you!" she nearly screamed, her voice carrying for a bit before their area was bathed in silence.

"Eh?" was all Michiko could say, blinking in confusion as she stared blankly at the now overly embarrassed girl.

"What I meant-that is-I didn't!" Honoka fired in rapid succession, not finishing a single sentence and allowing her words to string together in an incoherent mumble. Her red face nearly glowing due to its intensity, not getting any better when Michiko burst out laughing, nearly falling off the branch she was perched on.

"Oh, oh, I'm—so sorry, haha, forgive me," she got out between bouts of intense giggling.

"I'm not laughing at you, not really, I promise!" she said, jumping off the branch and brushing off her black shorts, the headband plate attached to her obi reflecting the light.

"It's just, you got it out so fast! It almost looked like you though I would eat you or something," Michiko said, a giggle or to still escaping her as she approached Honoka, placing her hand on her head softly.

"Tell me Honoka-chan, why do you wish to come with me? We have only met today and that would still class us as strangers normally," the Uzushio leader asked kindly, giving the girl time to think of her answer.

"What happened today, at the lab. It was my fault," she began, Michiko getting ready to interrupt her: "Now listen here that was not—," "yes it was!" she exclaimed, eyes tearing up.

"It was my duty to seal it. We talked and planned this in advance…I-I should have been able to do it," her voice got softer, rubbing her eyes to prevent the tears from falling.

"It was my responsibility. But I couldn't, it was too strong and if you and the others wouldn't have arrived…I spoke with the others. I've known them for a really long time, they are good people, they didn't mean for any of this to happen!" she said quickly, raising her head to face Michiko, eyes burning in determination, fists balled at her side.

"They took care of me and were kind…so I decided, I don't ever want to betray the faith my dear ones put in me. However, I can't do that on my own, I've tried and my best wasn't good enough, and I know we just meet—but please, please allow me to accompany you and teach me! I want to get better, I don't want my fūinjutsu to fail me like that again, to feel that helpless…please," she begged, bowing low from the waist before Michiko, missing the way she sighed looking at Honoka with sadness.

"The world…it is a mysterious place you know," she started, looking up at the darkening sky, seeming to be deep in thought. "Nobody can promise, unless they are lying, that you won't experience something like this again," Michiko carried on, her voice soft, as Honoka raised her head to stare at her.

"You see, none of us are meant to know the future and as a result, we are supposed to live our lives as we think best. Making the decisions that seemed best at the given situation even if later they proved to have not been so. Thus, we end up having both sad and happy moments. And that is all right…no, that is how it should be for it proves we are alive. Even if it sucks at times. Honoka, your pain, this experience, they are an important stepping stone in your life. If you are certain in your decision the I will accept. I will not baby you or think your decision carries any less weight because it was taken so quickly. We need to be able to make such decisions at times. However, please don't interpret my words as a promise that you won't experience pain in the future. Because likely? That would be a lie," at this Michiko lowered her gaze back to Honoka, red clashing with wide black eyes for a few moments before carrying on.

"On my name and pride as both an Uzumaki and Uzushio's leader, I will accept your request and teach you what I can. Maybe I will not always have the time to do so, but I will ensure that the knowledge with is rightly yours by blood is passed on to you as well," Michiko declared, her gaze steady and voice sure.

"By blood?" Honoka asked, voice thick with awe as she looked on at the other female.

"Haha, did you think I couldn't tell?" Michiko asked, gone was her serious expression and her voice was light and teasing.

"From the moment I sensed your chakra I knew that you were family, Uzumaki Honoka-chan," she said, slightly unprepared for the moment said girl launched herself into her arms, tears pouring down her face as she let go of her bottled emotions.

They both tumbled to the ground but Michiko held her close, whispering comforting words as she petted her hair and waited for Honoka to finish crying.

After all, everyone was entitled to cry when things piled up. No matter your profession, blood or gender. Humans will be humans regardless of anything done to them.

—.—.—.—

A few paces back, sitting on their respective branches as they waited for Michiko to give the order to leave, the three people accompanying her watched the entire scene in silence. Feeling as though something was pulling at their chest as Michiko's words sunk in. Not a wholly unpleasant feeling as they smiled softly at the two redheads.

* * *

 **A/N: Your comments are filled with so many kind and encouraging words ;A;**

 **Thank you so much.**

 **Midori, the sailors and technically the researcher, are the only new OCs added this chapter. Everyone else is cannon. Honoka appears in one episode, and the others are from the Hidden novels.**

 **I procrastinated with this chapter _so_ much. Seriously, I mean I preferred re-watching Sex and the City, read four books and generally plan what I wanted to happen after this chapter (over and over again) **

**Ooh, and I replaced a few more of the old chapters with their Beta version.**

 **Also, I am about 98% sure I will replace the cover again, I prefer the one where Michiko is in her Uzushio uniform with the village's headband on her forehead. Kinda matched the title better and looks more badass .**

 **X)**

 **Quick age reminder if you care?**

 **Michiko recently turned 18 in this chapter. Also, the events of this chapter are happening in April.**

 **Kimimaro: 7 years 9 months; Itachi: 10 years 9 months; Naruto: 5 years 5 months; Toshio: 21 years 3 months; Kakashi: 19 years 6 months; Guy: 20 years 3 months; Seiichi: 1 year 8 months; Ayaka: 56 years 11 months; Makoto/Kohaku (bet you forgot about them) 11 years; Natsumi: 37 years 9 months; Takeshi: 41 years 8 months.**

 **Question: Young Itachi vs Young Kimimaro, who would win?**

 **I mean old Itachi would win hands down against older Kimimaro but when they are both less skilled and Itachi doesn't have the Mangekyō...**


	33. Mōryō Arc

**Warning: Shitty fight scenes. You have been warned.**

Arriving in Oni no Kuni took far less time than they originally planned for despite their detour now that they were using the bird express. Or more specifically 'a gift' from the researchers to Honoka before the group of now five departed. It was a humongous, brick red monster bird, whose cries vaguely reminded Michiko of something from Jurassic Park. Although it seemed, despite its size, to be rather gentle, even going as far as to go hunt for the group when they would make a stop. Although there was no way the five of them could eat the amount of meet the bird seemed inclined to catch.

They managed to reach their destination on the other continent in under three days which, as far as Michiko was concerned was amazing. It did however come as a surprise for the samurai guarding the compound when they saw them descending. Which required some rapid talking to prevent them from attacking.

It was times like these, were Michiko needed to spend some time explaining and repeating who she was that she really felt how young she was. In compression to other village leaders that is. Who had years of experience previously to taking over their village, building a name, a reputation for themselves. Which, for a leader, was more important that one might think. Sure, if an enemy attacked them and the leader had the power it would pose no problem, regardless if they lacked a 'heavy' name.

However, when one has a reputation following them, enemies tended to think twice about attacking, which reduced the need to fight and endanger your people. It was partially for this very reason Michiko left the village so often to personal go on missions and diplomatic meetings. Not because she didn't trust others to do it, but because she needed to gain the experience they gave as well as to start building a name for herself. If only to make others more hesitant about attacking her village.

Thankfully their client came to see what the commotion was about, calling off the guards and greeting Michiko and her entourage warmly.

"Ah, thank you so very much for answering our call Michiko-sama, it is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the priestess of Oni no kuni, Miroku said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well Miroku-sama, these are my comrades, Uzumaki Daichi and Honoka, Yuki Rahyō and Hōseki Midori," she introduced each team member. It was decided from the beginning that Honoka would accompany them, partially because the seemed little point in returning to Uzushio just to dup Honoka in an unfamiliar surrounding, and partially because the girl wanted to improve her sealing techniques, which this mission focused on.

"Pleasure to meet you all," the ash-brown haired woman greeted before gesturing with her hand behind her, stepping slightly to the side to reveal a young girl, maybe four or five, with wheat blonde hair and large purple eyes.

"This is my daughter Shion. Come now Shion, greet them properly," she chided gently before the child gathered enough courage to stand in front of them long enough to give her greeting. Retreating behind her mother's skirts immediately after. Surprising a chuckle so as to not discourage the child Michiko returned the greeting with a large smile before Miroku finally escorted them inside the main building, where they were served tea while waiting for the food to arrive.

The priestess wasted little time reexplaining what it was she called them here for, going into more detail about the state the seal was in before saying:

"I shall take you to the underground shrine tomorrow, though I will have to ask the other to stay behind. Of course, my own guards will remain here as well," and before anyone could protest the food was bought over.

"Now please enjoy the food and replenish your energy for tomorrow is another day."

—.—.—.—

As promised, after breakfast the next morning, Miroku took Michiko to the underground shrine. Only the two of them.

"Forgive that I am being like thins, though with the tremors that keep coming from Mōryō's seal I feel the need to exert extra caution," the older female apologised, stopping by the door where she performed a series of unfamiliar hand signs. The door opened, revealing a most peculiar sight to the redhead.

"Ah yes, it must look rather strange," Miroku commented, walking confidently ahead towards the pillar of blue light which was, of course, chakra. The shrine encased by the chakra pillar and framed by several other stone pillars, found itself at the end of a narrow stone bridge, wired sealing tags nearly covered the celling from one end to another and nothing else of either side.

Even from this distance, now that Michiko was actually focusing on the chakra inside this chamber, a fact which she noted she couldn't do till entering it, she could feel it. Heavy and oppressing, in stark contrast to the chakra entitled by the sealing formula, which was seemingly recirculating the original chakra it was infused with over and over again.

"Hmm, Mōryō's chakra…it's definitely leaking through the barrier seal, though I must compliment the seal work done here. I didn't even realise how close we were to the shrine," Michiko commented, receiving a despondent sigh from Miroku.

"Ah, so it was as I feared, the seal is weakening," she said sadly.

"It might not be that the seal is weakening per se, so much so that, depending on whether or not the seal made him dormant all this time, Mōryō could have been pushing against the seal, looking to weaken it. Normally adding an array to force one to become dormant is the prudent thing to do; however that increases the chakra cost and concentration needed while sealing, for you are forcing your will upon another being and doing so against a struggling foe is exponentially more difficult, raising the chance of a failed sealing," Michiko went on to explain, approaching the barrier to better analyse it.

"Considering the fact that I very much doubt he was willingly sealed within the shrine, I would assume that they skipped that part in order to _actually_ seal him. Theoretically, this shouldn't make a difference, a sealed being would stay sealed regardless of whether they are in a forced dormant state or not. However, in the case of…stronger beings, such seals can prove problematic long terms if they are, _insistent,_ about getting out," the redhead finished.

"So what is there to do? We cannot allow Mōryō to escape, least he lays waste to this land and all others," Miroku warns gravely.

"Of course not. Do not worry Miroku-sama, that is why we are here. I promise we shall figure this out. However, I will have to analyse this seal first and understand its properties before I attempt messing with it and I will need Daichi to be able to see it as well. I can understand your wish to lower the number of people in the seal's presence…," she trailed off, looking at the woman expectantly.

"Yes, I expected as much," she sighed, "well then, please take your time and let me know how I might be of assistance. Once we are done here I shall present you with the documents passed down through my family about Mōryō's seal," the priestess confirmed, eyes expressing her determination to prevent the possible calamity from occurring.

"I'll be counting on you Miroku-sama," Michiko declared, flashing the older woman a grin before setting to work. 'First let us analyse the seal's composition,' she thought, doing her best to ignore the overbearing chakra of the demon.

—.—.—.—

Later that night, after pouring over the seal and notes Miroku offered with Daichi, Michiko found herself in her arranged room, her body relaxed and breathing evenly, as thought she was asleep. Though the truth was far from that. In the depths of her mindscape, the redhead stood before the golden bars separating her and the demon sealed within her.

"You are still upset with me," the teen pouted, sitting crossed legged as close as she could to the barrier. " **Do not think yourself worthy enough to affect my mood. I do not care about what you and the other humans are up to,** " the fox demon snarled, red eyes narrowed in clear irritation.

"…yup, I was right, you are still upset with me," Michiko sighed, ruffling her hair with her right hand before facing Kurama's angry gaze.

"Look, it is not like I don't understand why that is the case, I do. However, that doesn't change the situation. We can't let Mōryō escape and wreck havoc in the world,"

" **Tsk, like I care about what happens to you humans. You are all the same. Wretched creatures,** " he growled, barring his fangs at her.

"You don't mean that," she whispers softly in return, eyes sad.

" **I don't mean it?! All you humans have done for me was imprison me! Do not dare tell me what I mean and don't brat. I have lived long enough to know the true nature of your kind,** " he howled, his anger a near physical pressure weighting down on the redhead.

"I won't contradict you…since we are, as a whole, a rather selfish race," Michiko said carefully, mulling over Kurama's words, though her eyes betrayed the sorrow she felt. "But you know, as much as we are all the same, we are also all very different," she said, attempting to smile. Silence descended between them, with Michiko shifting nervously while Kurama pinned her with a stare.

It was difficult to tell whether or not he was thinking about what she said or the different ways to kill her. He could be like that at times.

" **Tsk. Don't you have to sleep brat, leave,** " he ordered, even if his tone lost the fury it initially held it was still cold and biting.

"One day, I promise, I'll show you the other side of human nature as well," she promised, getting up and preparing to leave her mindscape.

" **Words are meaningless,** " was the last thing Michiko heard before she was once again staring at her room's celling.

—.—.—.—

They have been at the priestess' compound for nearly two full weeks, Michiko had borrowed one of their birds to deliver a message to Uzushio, letting Toshio know all was good and to not worry.

Right now however, Michiko was pouring over one of the most complicated sealing arrays she had ever seen. It wasn't that she didn't understand the individual components which it was made up of. Or that she didn't understand the way they were linked, it was the fact that the seal was a far more delicate piece of work than she originally imagined.

The seal was _perfectly_ , and she really did mean _perfectly_ , balanced. They calculated the amount of chakra they needed to pour, exactly how it will be recycled and spread out down to the smallest morsel. She wanted to curse the people who made it and simultaneously beg them to teach her.

Yes, it was impressive, really _impressive_ , that they created such a detailed and precise seal. Problem: it did not, however, allow wiggle room for people like her to try and fortify it. It also wasn't one of those seals that when weakened could be "tightened" or "reset" again because it was a recycling seal and the problem was that Mōryō has adjusted enough to take advantage of its weaknesses. Which would normally mean having to either restructure the entire seal or use a new one.

Hence leading to the other problems which this seal created. It was too perfectly balanced to mess with, any alteration would surely make it collapse end of story. Which would result in Mōryō escaping and that was no good. Secondly, they would have to take down this seal in order to recalibrate it, so to say, which would also result in Mōryō escaping. Adding a secondary seal, while possible was tricky. If the seals were not compatible, rather than acting as a layered defence mechanism, the opposing energies would attack each other, wearing the seal down till it would eventually break apart completely. Which could be either very destructive, much like an explosion, or they could quietly cancel each other out without any extra drama. It really depended on the seals and energy poured into them. Though, considering that regardless of which way the seals would cancel each other out, Mōryō would be escaping… _they really couldn't fuck this up_.

They worked with Miroku on this issue as well, pouring over the seals passed throughout the generations of priestess past, looking to see if any of them would be of some help.

Meanwhile, Honoka would alternate between quietly watching the trio deliberate over the seals, "oohing," and "aahing," quietly every now and then after something she didn't know was explained, and spending time with Midori and Rahyō. Who despite essentially being brought with them for security, found themselves with nothing to do. It was peaceful.

Too peaceful. In fact, Daichi joked that if this trend carried on then it would mean that the bad luck would have to have been transferred to someone else.

Michiko threw a scroll at his head which he caught with ease, the move reminiscent of Toshio, before he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows comically in her direction. Causing the other tow females with them to laugh at the display.

When the evening was upon them it was joined by a flurry of activity outside. A group of travellers sought temporary lodgings. Miroku who went to see what was happening greeted them happily, apparently familiar with the group's leader who, she stated, was an old friend.

They were welcomed warmly inside and rooms were found to accommodate all of them, though they had to share, as did Michiko's group. Who were introduced to the leader, Jigoku, and his younger brother, Yomi. 'Don't they have lovely names,' the redhead thought drily, outwardly portraying a smile and engaging in small talk with the two men.

Although the redhead couldn't help but want to leave the dinner table faster. Jigoku was giving her the creeps. A rather uncomfortable feeling with made even the delicious food taste bland to the female. Regardless of the fact that the man had done nothing to warrant such a reaction from her.

So when Michiko retreated for her bath she spent an extra ten minutes scrubbing herself while simultaneously breathing herself for her silly behaviour. Scrubbing herself thoroughly before entering the hotspring. the teen allowed herself to relax once the warm water enveloped her body, allowing a satisfied sigh to escape her lips. She was rather notorious at home for taking the longest in the bath and for that reason she always was the last one to go.

If the situation permitted, the redhead preferred taking her time to thoroughly wash her hair and lather it with conditioner, before spending time in the warm water, allowing her muscles to relax. Once done she would spend the next twenty or so minutes massaging cream into her skin and detangling her hair before finally dressing to retreat for the night. There was little wonder why Michiko was made to be the last one to take a bath. It was one of the few vanities she allowed herself, the seeds of which were sown while she stayed in Asahama.

Night yakata on, the girl made her way back to the room she shared with female companions, on the way passing by the very two people she wanted to avoid.

"Michiko-sama," Jigoku intoned, nodding his head slightly as the passed by each other, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth, his younger brother following the example. Murmuring her own greetings before carrying on she couldn't help the way her eyes narrowed in thought.

—.—.—.—

There is a lot of truth in saying that luck runs out eventually or that all good things must come to an end. And when all you can hear as you make your way to the courtyard, through the panicked people pushing as they run in the opposite direction, is screaming…then likely that was the moment things changed.

Managing to arrive in the courtyard, her sight was created by chaos. The compound's samurai were engaged in battle with the group who arrived not even two nights ago, their movements and use of ninjutsu betraying their ninja status. There was blood and corpses littering the ground, their surprise attack enough to take out several of the guards.

Pinpointing Miroku and Shion's chakra Michiko barked her orders to the other two females accompanying her as she rushed to the priestess' side. She ducked beneath the swing of a sword, pivoting on her heels and using her momentum to deliver a blow to the solar plexus of the enemy attacking her, knocking the wind out of him before kicking him away. The blows making him lose his grip on the sword which she caught before he was sent hurling away, using it to parry another attack from behind.

Gritting her teeth in anger Michiko went for the throat, ducking to the slid partially before thrusting the blade forward, meeting little resistance from the muscles which made up the neck. A slight scraping sound revealed that she touched the spine, before pulling it out and continuing onwards. Paying no mind to the body which fell to the ground, dead only moments afterwards.

As she neared the priestess a surge of chakra was all the warning the redhead received before a strong gust of wind flung the nearby people into the walls. Acting quickly she sent chakra to her feet, using it to stick to the ground as she formed the three familiar hand signs for her jutsu. Taking a deep breath Michiko turned around to face the source of the wind; one of the ninja decked in white robes, with the trigram for wind on it stared right back, a maniacal smile on his face as his long white hair fluttered about him.

Then she exhaled, sending a roaring fireball at the man, his wind technique serving only to enhance the technique rather than to deter it. Michiko cursed when a water technique doused her flames, causing steam to be released as she continued onwards. 'He's got backup,' she thought in annoyance, using the generated steam as a smokescreen to reach her target.

"Miroku-sama!" she screamed, jumping to deliver a mid-air roundhouse kick to the one attacking the priestess and her bodyguards, unbalancing the enemy enough for the samurai to finish him. Before touching the ground Michiko performed the reflexive move of taking out a small scroll from the sleeve of her kimono, quickly unfurling it with the briefest touch of her chakra, revealing the gleaming metal of her guan dao.

Using her weight, the teen buried the blade in the ground, using the staff of the weapon to hold herself up and kick two more enemies in the face rapidly, sending them skidding across the ground. Before jumping and pulling out the weapon from the ground, bringing the blade in an upwards vertical slash that easily parted the clothing and muscles of the last nearby attacker.

"Michiko-sama…I don't-I don't know what to say," the woman stammered, surveying the battleground her home has turned into with wide eyes.

"Save it for later, let's get you and your daughter to safety first," the redhead ordered, nodding at the two samurai, an understanding passing amongst them as one of them hoisted Miroku on his back. The other taking position in the front while Michiko went to guard the back.

They followed her instructions as she guided them through this mess towards Midori, who had Honoka and Shion by her side, fighting two enemies at once. Which, wouldn't pose much of a problem if she didn't have two civilians to protect. Though it seemed to no longer matter as Rahyō swooped down, presumably from the roof, plunging his sword in one of the shinobi's chests before moving onwards to assist a group of samurai struggling with an earth ninjutsu practitioner.

Daichi also made his presence known when the compound rocked from the explosives he planted, steadily making his way towards them to regroup.

It was utter madness, though in the grand schemes of thing noting compared to what was to come. Nothing compared to the chakra which touched the edges of Michiko's senses, causing the redhead to freeze and all colour drain from her face. It didn't go unnoticed by the other either, especially when Miroku had much the same reaction as her, face frozen in horror.

Before anyone could inquire what was wrong the earth shook intensely. And it was not because of some explosion.

It felt as though time slowed down, when the ground beneath the underground shrine erupted as dozens of dragon-like heads emerged, the victorious cry that emanated from their throats being the only sound to fill the area for several moments as it's chakra swirled viciously around it.

She could see the people frozen in shock around them, feel their horror which permeated the clearing through their chakra. Then their enemies gave a loud cry, several, to her astonishment, fell to the ground _bowing_ to the monster before them.

"Mōryō," she heard the breathless whisper, realising to late that it came form her own lips. It was the wake up she needed in order to realise that she lost control of her body. Limbs gone weak and shaking, the feeling of the malevolent chakra, the despair which was quickly spreading, reminded her too vividly of the night five years ago, when Kurama was unleashed upon Konoha.

"He needs to be stopped," she heard Miroku's voice, turning to find the priestess looking by far more confident that she did a moment ago. Her back straight, her eyes resolute, she stared unwaveringly at the demon unleashed upon her home and land.

"There is no other choice," she carried on, taking a few determined steps forward, preventing Michiko from seeing her face anymore.

Whether or not Mōryō was aware or cared for their presence was unknown to Michiko. However, it seemed that Miroku's actions caught his attention.

Shion's cry being swollen up in Honoka's chest, preventing the girl from proceeding further and endangering her life anymore.

"Do you insist on getting in my way; Miroku?" its booming voice resounded, heads turning to face the priestess. Michiko watched on with equal parts fear and awe as Miroku continued to advance.

"Enough, I will not borrow your power. But you realise what that will mean?" A distant part of Michiko's mind, the one not preoccupied with seizing in fear, was dryly commenting on the need for overpowered demons to chat. Probably had to do with how long they were usually sealed up before inevitably escaping.

Mōryō's comment seemed to have elicited a reaction from the woman who turned sharply to face her daughter:

"Shion! Your bell?" she questioned quickly, causing said girl to frantically search her clothing as Honoka loosed her hold on her enough for the motion. It was the spike in chakra however, which caused Michiko to face the demon again. Watching wide eyed as it released a wave of _thick_ , dark chakra towards them. Or Shion more precisely.

Michiko wanted to move. She _wanted_ to move and protect the two but her body felt like led. Heavy and awkward to manoeuvre. ' _Damnitd_ _amnit_ _d_ _amnit_ _d_ _amnit_ _d_ _amnit_ _!_ '

Then light filled their area. Mysterious and ethereal. It was emerging from Miroku's body who moved to stand before her child. The light strong enough surround them all. Seemingly cleansing the surrounding area. The direct opposite of Mōryō's.

The redhead _breathed_.

Suddenly the heaviness of her body seemed to melt away. The voice shrieking in her mind was quieted and the familiar quiet replaced it. She moved first a toe, then a finger. She bent her arm and then she was able to take a step closer to the woman bathed in light.

'Her expression,' Michiko thought in astonishment, finally noticed the absolute certainty in Miroku's face. Her eyes were resolute, staring at Mōryō unwavering,

"Do not underestimate the power of a priestess," she said, in the same soft tone she always used. Yet the words were filled with weight and Michiko seemed to have an epiphany, mouth forming a small 'o' shape, eyes filling with wonder and admiration.

Miroku was unshakable in that moment. Her mind was made up and she had the resolve to see her decision through.

In that moment…the civilian priestess who spoke in soft tones and looked upon the world with clear grey eyes; was the epitome of bravery.

Not the thoughtless kind where people threw themselves into a situation in a desperate last struggle. Or where they ground their teeth in determination as they forced their way through a situation.

No, she was the kind of brave that was also dignified in a way you would image a monarch from a story would be; as they led their soldiers on the battlefield. Charging ahead with purpose and a plan, clearing a path for their people to follow.

"I see. You will risk your life and pass…" the monster spoke, its voice breaking the spell cast upon Michiko as her brain processed what it said. Making it her turn to whirl around sharply to face the calm priestess.

"Miroku-sa—"

"Please take your people and mine," Miroku interrupted, "and escape from this place. I will remain behind to seal Mōryō," she stated, still facing the demon before her and its several heads.

Distantly, Michiko was aware of the protests of Jigoku, and possibly others, which were easily quelled from a mere spike of the beast's chakra.

"You, are planning on dying," the young Uzu leader heard herself say, voice barely above a whisper. Though it was enough to reach Miroku and cause her to turn, expression morphing for a moment to reveal a doleful look.

"In truth, I have already known that this would happen and I rue the bloodshed it caused. Truthfully, I am grateful to you Michiko-sama," the woman said, her words seemingly not wishing to register in Michiko's brain. 'Why…?' The confusion likely plainly displayed on her face because the older woman continued.

"This should, or rather would have happened earlier. For this is my destiny. Therefore it is my belief, that by being here, said process was delayed, if only for a short while. It has given me more time with my daughter. And for that, I am grateful to all of you," and she means it too. It was so painfully obvious.

Shion was crying in Honoka's chest, her sobs still hearable among the background noise and Michiko bites her lip. _Hard_.

What the hell was this? What the hell was she doing? Those questions swirled around Michiko's mind as she watched Shion begins a sealing ritual, the hand signs unfamiliar as Daichi approached. His large hand clamping hard on her shoulder. If she turned, she would have seen the grim resignation on his face. The motion to get going.

However, Michiko did not turn.

Instead, she faced the realisation occurring within her own head.

She was nothing more that a brat playing at being a leader. Sure, she knew politics, she knew how to trade, negotiate and charm the pants off people and made some of the best damn tea in the whole world. She was also a decently good ninja. Trained hard, liked listening to the people around her. But what did she _actually know_ about being a leader. _Truly_ being one. Because when she really needed to be clam and think, her emotions, her _terror_ took over and that was unacceptable.

She froze. Froze and watched as nothing more than a slip of a woman made her way forward determinately. Willing to sacrifice herself to save them all. Looking as though she was bigger than the world and able to hoist all of its weight on her shoulders.

She knew what a leader was meant to do, how they were meant to act. Or so she thought. Watching Miroku, however, opened her eyes in an unexpected way.

Michiko knew what she needed to do.

Her posture relaxed for the first time since this whole debacle occurred. Opening her eyes she faced forward determinedly and made a promise.

To live and one day become a leader people looked up to while she charged forward. Forging a path for them to follow. Ensuring that they will have a future to nurture.

A leader her ancestors could proudly proclaim was of their blood. 'Someone who will not betray the trust placed upon them. Someone, just like Miroku-sama.'

Shrugging Daichi's hand Michiko walked with purpose towards Miroku whose glowing body was being protected even now by the remaining samurai. Then, without hesitating, she slapped her face hard. Breaking her concentration and the sealing ritual.

(Vaguely Michiko was aware that for an angry demon sealed for centuries Mōryō was rather unperturbed by the events happening around him. If his stolidity and willingness to listen to human gibberish was anything to go by.)

"What are you—" the woman cried indignantly, eyes flashing in anger for the first time. Yet it did not deter Michiko from her set path:

"You stupid priestess!" she shouted, interrupting both Miroku's angry complains and the nearby fighting.

"Does your heart really tell you it wants to die? Do you want to fade and disappear and leave this world behind? Your destiny is what you want it to be so there is no need to accept one you don't like!" she carried on interrupted only by the demons laughter, seeming to find their struggles far too amusing.

"Oy ugly, you shut up! Kurama is one thousand times more terrifying than you will ever be! Compared to that old fox you are but an insignificant bug," the redhead lashed out, despite the fact that her fists were still clenched tightly by her side and her body shuddered when it emitted a wave of dark chakra.

Grabbing Miroku in her arms, the teen jumped backwards as one of the heads collided with the ground.

"Enough with this shared! I shall devour this world and put an end to all that you care for!" it shrieked, patience finally snapping.

Placing the surprised priestess on the ground, the redhead breathed a sign of relief when she felt the other's chakra having safely evaded the attack as well.

"Miroku-sama," Michiko said more calmly, despite the chaos happening around them. "Your duty is to live and raise your daughter! So don't you dare go die in front of her!" she declared passionately, making eye contact with the woman.

"And yours is to live and lead your village. You can't die here!" the blonde replied just as fired up, if somewhat frantic.

"Heh…I still have a lot to learn in that a regard but, you are right. However, Miroku-sama, you see, I am very grateful to you as well. You taught me a very important lesson today. Showed me what bravery really looks like. So allow me to replay you by making sure your future is one by your child's side," the teen stated, adrenaline surging through her body as she prepared to enact her plan.

"Oy Daichi-oji! Restrain this thing for a bit will you?" she asked, not taking her eyes of the hydra-like creature, missing the absolutely dumbstruck face he made her way.

"Excuse me?" he nearly shrieked, or maybe he did, Michiko wasn't paying much attention to him anymore. Bringing her thumb to her mouth she bit hard, drawing blood. Her chakra buzzed in a familiar way before she slammed her hand to the ground, a sealing array forming beneath it before it was followed by a puff of smoke.

It cleared, revealing three, ready to go, foxes of various coat colours. They wasted no time and Mitsuki joined her side, his genjutsu better suited to be used while near Michiko for protection. Meanwhile, Dendō let lose on the enemy nin, his lighting enhanced abilities proving devastating against the prey he chose while Tsubaki flanked his side, forming a very visually bizarre team.

"Resistance is futile now that master Mōryō has been awakened!" Jigoku's voice carried across the clearing. His laughter cut short by a well aimed ice attack. Followed closely by a sword slash as Rahyō shunshined closer to the man.

"Your voice is irritating," he drawled, engaging in close combat. In truth he wasn't very concentrated on what was being said around him, his mind taking him back to what his sister said before he departed: "Potential. She has _potential_ aniki; even if she still has a lot of growing up to do. Keep a close eye on her and you just might see it too." In truth, he never quite liked the little redhead. Overly chatty. Though she had her moments and _he did_ promise his sister to look after the kid. Now, if only she stopped pretending so often.

"Doton, Chidōkaku*!" a feminine and familiar cry was heard next. Turning just slightly, Michiko witnessed Midori lower a portion of the ground beneath their enemies before she the hole with new earth. Effectively trapping the shinobi inside.

Daichi was attempting to make his way closer to the demon in order to have a better grip on it when he uses his chains, the fox pair aiding in his advancement. Once in place he looked towards Michiko:

"You better have a plan Michiko!"

"I do!" she shouted back before turning towards Miroku, who still looked stubborn.

"Sealing him at this point is out of the question," Michiko declared, much to the affronted protest coming from both Daichi and Miroku.

"So we are left with only one option. Destroy him and remove the burden of guarding him fro your daughter and the generation of priestesses to come!" she explained, eyes blazing in determination, making her own way closer to the demon. The blonde close behind.

"What are you saying! To do such a thing—" she attempted to protest, "And I expect you to support me!" she interrupted looking Miroku in the eyes.

"Ok oji! Go for it!" Michiko ordered, dropping on one knee and preparing herself. Gathering chakra she watched as Daichi's chains burst forth, wrapping around the struggling demon in an attempt to subdue it.

Miroku watched with wide eyes. A myriad of thoughts racing through her head. Although only one stood out amongst all the others. Her daughter. Shion was right behind and while she didn't know what the Uzumaki girl was planning, if…if it helped protect her daughter. Give her an easier life…then she would do her best to aid her. (Although a small voice in her mind whispered, embolden by the hope Michiko planted in her. 'Maybe I could see Shion grow up.')

Standing tall, Miroku's right hand shoot to the side, two fingers outstretched, before bringing it back and thrusting it in the air, shouting in a clear voice:

"Hatsu! Jin! Kai!" no hint of doubt clouding her words before she when through a quick, successive, series of hand seals. Unfamiliar to the ninja present but so familiar to her. A seal took form on the ground, humming with her energy as a barrier formed around them. Enclosing the three with Mōryō.

Nodding her thanks to the priestess, Michiko's own hands blurred through a thoroughly memorised series of hand seals, her chakra being pulled this way and that, before she firmly slapped both palms to the ground:

"Shirei**!" she howled, nearly falling as a huge amount of chakra was suddenly succeed out of her. A sealing array formed underneath Michiko, expanding a good foot in diameter.

Then _they_ appeared.

Rather small and otherworldly; they rose from the ground, their translucent robes swaying in the wind, a thick chain held in their right hand while a glinting sickle was found in their other one. Half a dozen of them materialised, their face covered by different masks as they pause mid-air for a fraction of a moment.

Then they _struck_.

Deadly fast and impossible to avoid, they quickly wound their chains around Mōryō, binding him more tightly than Daichi, who let go in relief. They raised their weapons in unison, plunging it in the beast's flesh, causing it to release an agonising scream from each of their heads.

Their blades left no physical wound, yet, as they pulled out their sickles, tendrils of blue chakra were being pulled out, increasing in thickness and caring in size.

Mōryō convulsed and Michiko heaved, chakra leaving her now body at a frightening pace. This technique was long since labelled as a kinjustu by her ancestors. A cousin justus to the Shiki fūjin,*** Shirei allowed the user to summon a number of minor Shinigami**** to help them destroy their enemy by binding and extracting their soul, leaving only the physical body behind.

Unlike the Shiki fūjin, the caster was not requested to die, for the shinigami received their soul offering from the target itself. However what they did demand instead of the user's soul, which labelled it as a kinjutsu, was a massive amount of chakra.

The technique would continue to drain the user of chakra at a rapid pace, till the soul extraction was complete. Hence why it was better to cast this on an immobile target. However, should the user run out of chakra before the technique was complete, the Shinigami would draw energy from their remaining life force, which could even kill the caster if the technique was dragged out. Thus, the more the target put up a fight the longer this dragged out and the more dangerous it became.

Feeling her legs go numb, Michiko fully collapsed, resting on her arms as she continued to pour chakra, the world around her becoming hazier. 'No! I will not give in. Not like last time,' she thought, willing herself to stay conscious and see this through.

A jolt passed through her body as Miroku laid her own flat on Michiko's back, pouring her own chakra in the girl. Smiling weakly the redhead came to a frightening conclusion as Mōryō freed on of its heads; it wasn't enough. Her own reserves were quickly approaching their end and Miroku was struggling to keep both the barrier and feed her chakra simultaneously.

' **Snap out of it brat!** ' a familiar voice boomed in her mind. 'Kurama! But how—' ' **Shut it for now; I have no intention of letting you die till I have attained my freedom,** ' the fox howled, his voice presenting itself in her mind like this for the first time.

And then she noticed it.

She stopped heaving, her limbs felt steadier and she could hear the surprised cries. And the pain. Oh the sweet, sweet pain and smell of burning flesh as her skin was pealing bit by bit. Bubbling, red chakra was encasing her body, seeping into the sealing formula whilst simultaneously keeping her reserves from depleting.

Oh but it _burned_. The pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced before and it felt like her very chakra coils were going to melt off.

She heard Miroku yelp in pain as the chakra seared her hands, though the woman soldered on. Battling the pain to continue giving Michiko some of her chakra. More gasps followed as dense waves of chakra were being emitted from Michiko's body. Strong enough to be felt even by non-sensors. Then the tails formed, first one, then two more appeared. On the fourth one she howled in pain like no tomorrow, exposing her more elongated canned before her red eyes snapped open as she forced herself to concentrate.

"I-I made a promise!" she yowled in pain, grinding her teeth to prevent another one from escaping, "I will see tha-that you are des _troyed_ today…Mōryō!" Michiko declared.

"And I-I shall m-make sure you live too!" Miroku chimed in, the pain causing her own voice to break as she pumped more chakra, raising her eyes to glare at the monster which she was tasked to look over since was but a child.

Together they pushed, Michiko directing more chakra into the seal, allowing for a total of a dozen Shinigami to materialise in this world. Literally hacking away at the demon's soul bit by bit.

Then, dropping the barrier, Shion directed the energy to envelop Mōryō's body, watching in relieved astonishment as the monster began disappearing.

Finally, finally, it was over and the Shinigami dropped their chains which quickly seems to retreat back into the earth before their own bodies followed suit.

The redhead was allowed a single moment to process this before she collapsed.

—.—.—.—

 **Omake: Nightmares**

He woke up with a start, hand flying to clench the material of his shirt, above his heart, trying in vain to calm his breathing. This happened sometimes, he couldn't always recall what he dreamt though each and every time this happened he looked around himself in a panic.

It was night, the room was dark and the faint light of the moon and stars did little to help in that regard.

Kimimaro hated the dark. He hated it. All he ever used to know was the dark. That is, till he meet her.

She was the one that lend her hand to him, pulled him up and introduced him to a world he wasn't even able of dream before. Whilst before he was all alone, trapped in his cage with only his thoughts, now he couldn't turn his head around without spotting someone. It was frightening in a way he never experienced previously, because there was so much to see and feel that he never could before and the thought that it was all too good to be true scared him like nothing else could.

He tried to close his eyes and will his body back to sleep. Later when he would wake up it would be daytime and the sun would be pouring through his windows and all would be right again.

Only Kimimaro couldn't fall back asleep. What if he didn't wake up to a room filled with light? What if when he opened up his eyes again there will only be the familiar darkness of his cell. What if he woke up and everybody around him wanted him gone. What if _she_ wanted him gone?

Battling the tears which gathered in his eyes Kimimaro resorted to biting his lip to prevent a whimper from escaping past his lips. His small body rocking from the suppressed sobs.

"Another nightmare Kimimaro-kun?" a gentle voice asked. He jumped, startled by her voice. Opening his eyes, he felt the mattress dip as she took a seat on the edge of it. Opening his mouth to reply he found that no words wanted to come out and he clenched his fists in frustration.

'How pathetic can he be? Couldn't he even answer one simple question?' a taunting voice in his mind mocked, causing only further frustration to build up in his small body. He wanted to speak! He wanted to tell her he was frightened. To beg for reassurance. But that would be weak of him. That would be weak and pathetic and he couldn't show her that side of him because she was the strongest person he knew and what if—whatever else he was going to think was interrupted when he felt his body being pulled into a warm embrace. His face flush against the material of her yukata.

She hummed a soft tune as one of her hands when to pat his hair, the motion booth shooting and so familiar. She patted his head the first time they meet as well. When his shaking subsided and his eyes dried up she pulled slightly away from him, allowing her to get a better view of his expression even though he would have preferred to remain as they were before.

Uzumaki Michiko was, for all intents and purposes, no matter what she would say otherwise, his saviour. As far as Kimimaro was concerned she was the reason he was still alive and his world now filled with colour and sounds.

Pushing the hair out of his eyes she planted a wet kiss on his brow, right above the marking which were so distinctive of his clan.

"You know it is alright to be afraid Kimimaro-kun," she whispered, letting go of him completely so she could lean forward, grabbing a mug from his nightstand, something which he was certain was not there previously.

"Here we go," Michiko told him, handing him the cup warmed by its contents, "warm milk and honey will always soothe the soul," she told him knowingly, winking conspiringly, as though this was a secret between the two of them.

Kimimaro couldn't help the smile that bloomed on his face, this was not a new routine. It wasn't the first time he woke up from a nightmare and every single time she would come, as though summoned, with a cup of warm milk and gentle words. She would stay too, all the way till he finally managed to fall asleep again.

He once braved to ask her how she knew, surprised to learn that she wold wake up upon feeling his chakra spike from whatever it was he was dreaming. It made him feel bad, and still did, especially knowing that she wasn't the only one sensitive to chakra under this roof. Though nobody else mentioned it and she tended to flicker his forehead if he did. Telling him it was silly to feel bad about it.

"Family looks out for each other, it's only normal," and Michiko would probably never fully realise just how precious those words were to Kimimaro.

Afterwards, he managed to fall asleep once more, smile plastered on his face as he dozed off to the sound of her voice humming one melody or another. He didn't have any more nightmares and when he woke up sunlight was pouring through his window and he could hear the sounds of the birds in the tree outside.

He wasn't in that underground cell. He wouldn't be waking up there again and in time, he might be able to forget that fear.

—.—.—.—

 **A/N: Yes. I pulled a Naruto, friendship is magic…I regret nothing.**

 **Did you think the events of this chapter was bullshit? Well prepare yourselves for so much more bullshit in the future. This "book" is full of them.**

 **It is 3 am here, I will further edit this chapter later. Sorry *bows***

 **I hope the Omake made up at least partially for the otherwise mess of a chapter.**

 ***** **Doton, Chidōkaku** **= Earth Release, Moving Earth Core**

 ****Shirei=lit meaning: Death Parade (original technique)**

 *****Shiki Fūjin=Dead Reaper's consuming seal**

 ******Shinigami=Death Gods**

 **Shion, Miroku and Mōryō are canon character from the first Naruto Shippuden movie.**

 **Answer: Young Kimimaro would win against Young Itachi. Or at least they would draw. If simply for the fact that he would have had so much more experience fighting. He did fight against ninja from Kiri when she was what five? Seven? Not to mention his kekkei genkai makes him hard to defeat.**


	34. A new chapter begins

**A/N: All of your kind words...I don't, thank you so much. All of you.**

 **Thank you for taking the time to comment. To _read_. To favour/follow. Thank you so very much and I am so sorry I keep making you wait for updates.**

* * *

The area quieted as Mōryō's final screech echoed through the compound, shocking the people present as they watched the demon collapse. Miroku's barrier also shimmered out of existence as the priestess fell to her knees, exhausted and gasping for breath but clinging to consciousness.

Michiko on the other hand could do no such thing as she collapsed, her jutsu fading as she touched the ground. The red-bubbling chakra clinging to her form for a few more moments before dissipating, leaving behind exposed muscle tissue, the skin having been corroded by the chakra.

A moment. Then two passed. And then finally the people remembered they could move.

The fighting resumed with even more fervour. Now, that Mōryō was defeated the enemy clan were left with only the option to fight their way out of the compound. With renewed determination, the samurai and Uzu shinobi made quick work of the remaining enemies. Intent on eliminating the ones who threaten their lives and home.

Rahyō in particular was fixated on Jigoku, refusing to allow the man a chance to escape with his life.

Daichi was the first to react after Michiko fell, making his way to her and gathering in his arms, while a nearby samurai repeated the process for Miroku. They navigated their way through the compound and fighting, Honoka following their lead and carrying Shion with her. They made their way back inside the main building, taking both females to an empty room where they could receive treatment and be kept away from the fighting.

Once he placed Michiko on the ground he swivelled around, delivering a reversed punch when he felt someone approaching from behind. Barely avoiding hitting Midori, who followed them.

Not wasting time on apologies the two when about their duties as the Uzumaki male secured the room while Midori set to healing Michiko to the best of her abilities. There was a weak protest from the samurai who insisted on Miroku being treated first but a glare from both women shushed him immediately. It was the redhead in the more critical condition.

Soon after the room received three more guest. This time furry ones. As the foxes barged inside, unstopped by Daichi, and made their way to their summoner. Mitsuki's whines adding noise to the room while Tsubaki reported on the situation outside. Dendō on the other hand was satisfied with acting as a silent guarding shadow, going to sit by Michiko's head, his eyes never leaving Midori's form as he observed her tend to his summoner.

The people inside made little noise, tense with the possibility of an attack —although unlikely by this point— and the visual representation of Michiko wounds. After all, it is not often you witness someone who had their skin burned off.

There was, of course, the events which just happened barely a few moments ago to consider. And while everyone seemed content to keep their curiosity and questions to themselves there was undoubtedly an underlying tension produced from what they just witnessed.

Daichi was not stupid, he had a fairly good idea what the chakra Michiko used was. It did not, however, make him feel any better or even relieved. Instead, it gave rise to twice as many questions as he received answers for. Such as how..why did Konoha allowed her to leave them. Why did she keep quiet about this? And what did this really mean?

It was true, that this reveal answered several things regarding the odd comportment of Michiko and her parents whenever the Kyūbi attack upon Konoha was mentioned —though, he chalked that up to a traumatic experience— and Michiko —previously thought— strange fixation on the bijū. She did, after all, demand that the nine bridges built along Mogami river, which traverses Uzushio, to be named after one of the tailed beasts and receive an obelisk describing their known history. Not to mention the fact that it was compulsory for students to learn about the bijū during their school years and jinchūriki are part of the covered curriculum.

He admittedly had his suspicious, though they were so faint and the possibility of it being true so unlikely that he would dismiss the thought whenever it crossed his mind.

Now however…

Daichi wasn't entirely certain how to feel. Of course, he more than understood that a jinchūriki was not the same as the beast sealed within them. For crying out loud the stories point to his own clan being the inventors of this practice and he was an accomplished fūinjutsu user himself.

That was not the problem. The problem was that he felt cheated if he was being honest. He was family right? Why wasn't he told about this? Did they not trust him? The others? Who else knew? Ayaka? The Konoha council? The Hokage?

His head hurt from all the questions being thrown around rapidly in his mind despite his attempts to silence them. At least till he could be alone, without the need to worry about an attack.

For now Daichi attempted to focus on that. And on the fact that his niece was critically wounded and he couldn't do anything in that regard to help her.

—.—.—.—

Days passed as people busied themselves with repairs and cleaning. Many rooms were transformed into makeshift hospital ones to treat the wounded and requests to the nearest village were sent for extra aid. The dead were gathered and given a proper burial as per the customs of Oni no Kuni.

Such were the way days blurred into each other and before people even knew it five days passed. They were still mourning their deceased and others were still recovering but a semblance of normality was being regained.

Officials from the capital and even the daimyō himself announced their future arrival once news of the events spread amongst the population.

Miroku was more or less recovered, having only suffered from a minor form of chakra exhaustion though her hands were still bandaged, having received similar burns to that of Michiko from being in contact with the corrosive chakra.

The redhead in question however, has yet to stir from her slumber, her entire body requiring to be bandaged after it was lathered in healing creams. Midori having done as much as she could, though focusing on the extensive damage done to Michiko's chakra coils. Nevertheless, she was not experienced enough to deal with damaged nerves or meddle too much with the delicate network which allowed one to use their chakra. Thus Michiko was required to heal, normally, till they could return home and have her admitted to the hospital.

Moving her was, unfortunately impossible in her condition and the Uzushio shinobi had to remain in Oni no Kuni for an extended period. Miroku welcomed their stay with open arms, even insisting that she do more to help them in return for all they did.

—.—.—.—

In the early hours of the eight day, Michiko woke finally stirred out of her slumber. Groaning in pain as she attempted to move her body. However, that pain was nothing compared to the one she felt attempting to channel chakra and scan her surroundings. Stifling a scream, she curled in a fetal position, bitting her lip hard and gripping the sheets as spasms rocked her body and her vision turned spotty.

When the pain subsided to a manageable level she released the sheets, gasping for breath her vision clearing as she rolled on her back. The pain nearly knocked her unconscious again and Michiko was barely capable of noting the wet object poking her upper arm was Mitsuki's nose. Or that the long high-pitched sounds were the fox's whines.

The redhead didn't even notice Dendō leaving the room till he returned with two attendants who fretted and worried over Michiko. Asking far too many questions much too quickly for her to even process them; much less answer them. I the end one of them left and fetched Midori who barely wasted time breathing before jumping to work.

The green haired woman wasted little time.

What happened after was blurry at best as she battled sleep in order to try and listen to what Midori was saying. Though her body was having none of it and in the end she lost the battle.

When she next woke up it was light, probably mid day based on the light intensity. Stifling a groan (or several) she attempted to move her body with little success. A wet nose pressed against her left cheek and Michiko looked from the corner of her eye, noticing Mitsuki's golden fur before anything else.

However, just like the first time, the redhead was unable to battle the exhaustion of her body. So deep that she felt it in her very bones. So she didn't attempt to this time. Simply closing her eyes and allowing the darkness to lull her back to sleep.

Then she woke up once again, to the soft pink light filtering through her room —'Was it dawn or dusk?'— because of Midori's gentle prodding. She was checking to see how her wounds were healing, avoiding the use of chakra as much as possible to not put extra strain on her still damaged coils.

This time Michiko managed to stay awake long enough to ask for, and drink, a glass of water. Groaning when Midori poked a particularly sore patch of healing skin.

Before falling back asleep she learnt that for the past two weeks she has been in and out of consciousness. Her body still working to heal the damaged produce by Kurama forcefully pushing his chakra through the seal. However, without the normal aid of her chakra, Michiko's body was healing at a much slower pace. Tissue and muscles mending in a _much_ more traditional way.

A missive was sent to Uzushiogakure in order to inform them of what was going on, Midori having put in a request for a more trained medical-nin to be sent their way as well. Admitting to being nearly as helpless as the civilian medic in regards to helping the redhead.

Mid way through the third week Michiko was able to move enough that she could feed herself, —despite protest from both the medics present and Midori— albeit slowly. She was also able to stay conscious for much longer.

She was able to speak with Miroku, thanking the older woman for her hospitality. Despite the elder insisting it was her that needed to thank then redhead.

"You have bought me more time with my daughter…to see her grow, to teach her myself…I could never thank you enough Michiko-sama."

Daichi and Honoka were frequent visitors and even Rahiō paid Michiko a visit. Non of them, not even once, asked what the chakra which saved —as much as damaged— her was.

She knew they weren't stupid. Knew that they had questions. But was grateful nonetheless for the patience they were showing her.

"Well, sooner or later this was bound to come out," Michiko commented, twirling a strand of her red hair around her index finger. An action, she was loathed to admit, took far more out of her in reality that it should. On the other hand, here in her mindscape, she was free to move however she pleased.

Kurama snorted at her blasé attitude, red eyes a near mirror of her own shade narrowed upon her figure standing before his cage.

" **Something which would have been unnecessary had you any sense,** " he huffed, the corner of his lip twitching upward in a silent snarl, revealing sharp, elongated teeth.

"Oh, stop being such a grump," Michiko retorted, huffing in exasperation, arms crossing before her chest. The perfect image of a petulant child.

" **Tsk, just don't expect me to apologise or some such ridiculous notion,** " he commented, holing his head in a clawed paw.

"When have I asked you to apologise!" the redhead exclaimed exasperated. "I already told you I am _grateful_ for your intervention. Sore as I am after it but _still_ ," she emphasised, hand waving before her.

" _Thank you_."

Snorting, the great fox turned to face the side, grumbling something unintelligible under his breath. Though Michiko was sure she heard annoying brat be part of it.

Shaking her head half in exasperation and half in amusement Michiko made her way to the golden gate separating the two. Where she took a seat on the floor, her back resting against one of the bars allowing herself to relax in the peaceful quiet which settled between them.

—.—.—.—

A month and two days. That was how long it took for Michiko to be able to transverse from one side of the room to the other and back without collapsing in a shaking, sweating, panting heap and for the medical-nin, which made its way all the way from Uzu, escorted by a chūnin, to declare her fit for travel.

She practically assaulted the poor man when he told her that.

The group was preparing to depart the next day so Michiko dragged her sorry ass to Miroku's meeting room where she watched —somewhat jealously— as the priestess sealed the room. Ensuring they will have their privacy.

They went through the routine pleasantries, with Miroku asking, probably, one to many times whether or not she was okay. Though considering the pathetic state she was in Michiko let it slide.

"Nee, Miroku-sama, I think you have some questions for me. And…I believe you deserve the truth," the priestess pale eyes sharpened, her back straightening.

—.—.—.—

Dawn wasn't too far away, the compound which has been buzzing with activity over the past weeks was quiet and Michiko sat on the egawa, looking at the dimming stars, the moon having long since made its way across the sky.

Her body still hurt, the very idea of using chakra hurt and Michiko was left with very little she _could_ do. She couldn't help with the preparations, mainly because she tired rather fast, and she couldn't do anything which required chakra…for obvious reasons. Which, the Uzumaki grumpily realised, was needed for far too many things. Things she couldn't do. Not if she ever wanted to use chakra again. Her Rinha medic-nin made that painfully clear.

So she sat on the ego, waiting for the sun to signal the start of a new day. Dendō curled behind her, his large head resting near her thigh while Mitsuki lay curled in her lap her fingers gently playing with his fur.

She didn't react when the floorboards creaked, signalling another's presence. She knew that if Daichi hadn't wanted to she wouldn't have heard him. Reminding Michiko once again just how much she relied on her chakra on a day to day basis. 'I really need to ensure this never happens again,' she thought, turning her head to look at Daichi as he took a seat besides her.

"Only a few more hours before we can return home," he said eventually, breaking the tranquil silence.

"Aa," Michiko agreed, returning her gaze back to the sky. After Mōryō's destruction, their relationship, became somewhat strained. Daichi didn't behave any differently around Michiko than he did in the past. Saying and doing the same things he did since knowing her. They were just…more strained. Maybe even a bit forced. Or maybe Michiko was imagining it all.

"You know…" the male said softly, almost a whisper, drawing her attention back to him. "I still can't figure out why they let you go." He didn't elaborate beyond that. He didn't need to.

"When we get back hime," Michiko promised instead, meeting his stare with her own when he turned his head from looking at the stars.

"When we get back home," he agreed. The two Uzumaki allowed silence to resume around them while their furred companions pretended to sleep.

Eventually they had to go, prepare for the day. Mitsuki jumped off Michiko's lap, quickly going to do his business before walking back with his summoner and the older fox back to the redhead's room.

Daichi walked her partway to their destination, separating to go check on the carriage which Miroku insisted they take till the port so that Michiko needed stain her healing body.

Never once did the Uzumaki male noticed that it was only two foxes which he found in Michiko's presence. Despite summoning three.

—.—.—.—

The shinobi group —now with two members larger than when they first arrived— exchanged goodbyes with Miroku and her people, whom they have all gotten used to seeing on a daily basis. Shion, who had grown terribly attached to Honoka over the past weeks was crying at the prospect of parting with her friend, despite the teen promising to visit when she could and in the end the priestess had to intervene to reassure her child.

She exchanged her goodbyes with Michiko the two taking a few moments separated from the groups to say some final words to each other.

"This land will not forget what you and your village has done for it. I promise Uzushiogakure will always find a friend in Oni no Kuni," a promise which was mirrored by the country's daimyō while he was at the compound.

"And you and yours will always be welcomed with opened arms in Uzushio," Michiko replied, tightening her grip on the priestess hands before the two walked to their respective parties.

Admittedly Michiko had to swallow her embarrassment at entering the carriage; not because it was not pleasing to look at or was something she never took before. But because it was her own disability which required the use of it.

Something, which she knew would bother the shinobi travelling with her even if they didn't say anything. After all, it bothered her two when for various reasons, usually political, she had to ride in one, if only because they were so painfully slow compared to the normal pace of a ninja. Especially a carriage of this side which fit in everyone.

—.—.—.—

It took nearly a week to reach the nearest port town from Miroku's compound. The carriage and horses using the well worn, civilian path and in no apparent need to hurry. Needless to say that the Uzu group was rather restless by the end of it.

Nevertheless they thanked the two manning the carriage, Michiko insisting on giving them some money despite the priestess having taken care of that, before making their way to the docks were they found a boat heading for Hi no Kuni that was willing to make a stop in their country before continuing. Although, it would not leave immediately. They hunted for logging ad after finding a suitable place with enough space for all of them Michiko bullied her way out of there. Insisting she needed to walk after all that time spent inside the carriage and decided Mitsuki and Dendō were sufficient company.

'I'm supposed to be the damn leader. They are _supposed_ to _listen_ to me,' she grumbled mentally as she exited the inn her summons faithfully following her despite the stares they were attracting.

Making Sherway towards the town's outskirt Michiko took a seat underneath a large oak and waited.

She might not be able to use her chakra to sense who was around, but her foxes' noses were sufficiently adept, and their pursuer sufficiently incompetent, (or maybe he didn't care) to not mask his scent for the past days he was trailing them.

A growl from Dednō was sufficient warning for Michiko to direct her gaze towards the man now approaching.

Her red eyes narrowed upon his cloaked form, his straw had hiding his face. Leaving only his left hand, which was gripping a staff, exposed and visible.

The man made his way before her, barely two feet away.

Michiko did not allow him to see how tense she was. Deliberately relaxing her body, her expression one of boredom.

"Uzumaki Michiko, the young leader of the newly reinstated Uzushiogakure," the unknown said as way of greeting and the girl in question had to fight the urge to bare her teeth at him. Maybe she was spending too much time with Kurama.

"Well I must admit I find myself at a disadvantage," the girl confessed. "You seem to know who I am but I do not know who you are…" She left the sentence hanging in the air, waiting for the man to fill in the gaps.

"Ah, my apologies," he said, reaching with his free hand to tip his hat back. Revealing an aged face with a long grey moustache.

"I do not expect you to know who I am or where I'm from. You ninja from the other continent tend to ignore the rest of the world and its inhabitants," he said pleasantly. Though his words weren't quite so pleasant. 'But rather true,' Michiko was pressed to admit mentally.

"I am the leader of Jōmae village," he finally introduced himself.

Now that got Michiko to raise an eyebrow. Not in challenge or disbelief, just in slight surprise at who happened to be following her.

"I was hoping you might be willing to talk," he continued, lowering himself to sit on the ground.

—.—.—.—

The boat left at dawn the following day and finally the gods seemed to be smiling upon the group as the winds held strong and their journey was smooth.

Like most transport in this world it was slow, with no way of doing anything about it other than pray for stronger winds. Though Michiko supposed it gave her more time to heal and look less pathetic by the time the boat pulled in one of Uzu no Kuni's harbour and the shinobi group carried on.

Michiko was tempted on more than one occasion to simply hiraishin everyone home and be done with it, consequences be dammed. Though it seemed like Dendō possessed a sixth sense which told him whenever his summoner was thinking of doing something stupid because he always appeared at those moments, glaring like no tomorrow in Michiko's direction.

But they made it to Uzushio in three days from the docks and Michiko's was jointly dragged by the Rinha medic and Midori at the hospital for a thorough medical check. There Marisu herself came to perform said check, tsking at the damage her child sustained. Which, Michiko was told, looked better now and it did at first. That, if anything, made her more worried. She was however only hit over the head with the woman's clipboard once before she explained that, while it would take some considerable time, she will recover the use of her chakra (as long as she didn't do anything foolish was self explanatory) and by next week she could begin training again. Though, and Marisu was, _particularly_ clear on this, she was to take it _easy_ …and of course no chakra.

Michiko did however order the staff involved with her care and the people who accompanied her on the mission to keep silent about the full extent of her injuries. No need to let people get any smart ideas.

—.—.—.—

Whoever thought that Michiko will get to rest just because she was injured was sorely misinformed about the situation or did not know the girl. Or the people she surrounded herself.

Barely out of the hospital and she was already being dragged by Toshio to her office. The male nearly throwing her in the chair. An action, she was certain, he held back likely only due to the visible bandages wrapping her entire body.

The tanned male barely paused to breath as he informed her on what happened as he pilled document over documents on her desk.

"These need to be finished by tomorrow afternoon at the latest," he said, before carrying on to read out the progress made by the genin teams about to enter the chūnin exam in nearly two weeks time.

"Shirumi-sama sent a message inquiring about when the third stage of the exam will be held. You also received a message from the capital, daimyō-sama has mentioned that he is looking forward to the exams and that he wants a time table sent to him by next week so that he might clear his schedule for the third part of the exams. The builders have encountered a problem with…" Sentence after sentence left Toshio's mouth and Michiko's completion only continued to pale.

Not even two months. She wasn't even gone from the village for two months and all of this was happening. The redhead wanted to groan but she bit her tongue. This is what she wanted. This was what she was meant to expect since she got it into her head to see her ancestral village born anew.

She didn't have a right to complain. Not when Michiko was painfully aware that despite everything she had to do in such a short amount of time was only what remained after Toshio took care of all that he could take care of himself.

So taking a deep breath, she slowly exhaled, thanking Toshio once he was done speaking before starting on the first pile of paperwork.

Michiko knew she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. Knew that despite telling Toshio to take a break and let her deal with things he wasn't going anywhere either. And knew that if she wanted to see her family properly anytime soon she would need to deal with all of this first.

Because one couldn't expect to be responsible for so many people and not make sacrifices in their personal life.

Because the village came first.

* * *

 **A/N: Jōmae village, aka Hidden Key village and the old man are from the anime. Thank you so much for reading this story seriously. You guys keep me motivated. I can't promise fast updates, especially as Monday I am officially starting university! Wooot, woot. I didn't do that well in my A-levels (all my fault for being so lazy) but I did get into the University I wanted, even if it is the one further away from my two choices. I am also in the process of revamping my story Curiosity Killed the Cat but Satisfaction Brought it Back. It was originally an SI-OC story and the first**

 **I am also in the process of revamping my story Curiosity Killed the Cat but Satisfaction Brought it Back. It was originally an SI-OC story and the first multi-chapter story I thought of and promised to finish (which I will damn it!) but as I thought more and more about the plot my character was no longer a somewhat SI and it didn't make sense to keep her as such. Now I feel much better about that story and once I finalise the details I will start writing for that one and this one simultaneously. The other stories will have to wait unfortunately.**

 **Other news...I adopted the Harry Potter OC Wikia! So if you like HP and like making OCs maybe go visit the Wikia?**

 **Question: If you could put Kimimaro in any team/ create a team for him, who would his teammates be? They do not have to be from Uzushio or even his age group. More of a what if? sort of ideal team? (Does that make sense?)**


	35. Shout out! The chūnin exams!

Michiko surveyed the gaggle of bright eyed genin standing before her. They were in front of Uzushio's west gates, the teams before her assembled and prepared to journey to Konohagakure for this year's chūnin exams.

She allowed a few more moment to pass before a smirk bloomed across her face as she told them:

"You lot will be representing our village, your behaviour while in Konoha is important so you _will not_ be picking fights with others outside the exams. Is that clear?" she asked, her eyes hard as she waited for the confirmation from the children before her.

"With that said…once the exams _do start_ …everyone if fair game," Michiko told them, her expression particularly wicked as the genin before her mirrored the expression. "That means you lot will have to be careful too. And I want you to look out for each other," she stressed, giving the sensei a look that said to remind the brats later.

"You are essentially fresh meet bratlings. Other villages will be paying particular attention to you lot. They might provoke you or engage you on purpose. _Do not let them_. _You_ are shinobi of _this village_ and I want you to show at this exam that we shouldn't be underestimated just because we are recovering. _Understood_?" Michiko barked at the preteens, hands on her hips and eyes fierce. A look which was mirrored by each genin as they flashed the Uzumaki a smirk of their own.

A few choice words towards the sensei and the team were off. Friends, family and friends were gathered behind Michiko as they shouted their own cheers before adjourning once the you could no longer see the children.

There was a common misconception among civilians and the young, which stated that only children could enter the chūnin exams or that you had to enter it in order to be promoted to chūnin. Which was entirely false and vastly amusing in Michiko's opinion.

After all, if the only chances to promote someone to chūnin occurred during the exam then each village would have a pitifully small number of those. Especially when most often, maybe one or two of the genin sent would be promoted. That held true even for internal exams. In reality the bulge of chūnin from any village were made up from field promotions and recommendations which each village leader had to look over and asses. Similar to how it worked for jōnin promotions.

Sure, it is true that the chūnin exams are a great way to gauge skill level and gain experience agains other opponents, —which were not holding back— in a somewhat controlled environment; but the truth of the matter was that the exams have evolved, from a show a faith (allowing foreign shinobi in your village), into a simple —bloody— dick measuring competition and nothing more.

Any age group could be entered as long as they were genin, but most tended to send in younger ones to show just how strong their shinobi were at such a young age. Which then translated to them only becoming stronger as they age, and the village as a whole to be a strong one. Really, it was just a way to gauge how your neighbours are faring skill wise. Hence why you could have villages that refused to participate in the exams all together. Though it did make for a wonderful venue to prance about influential/wealthy people which could then be _convinced_ to request missions from your village. 'All just one big political game,' Michiko thought, returning to her office where more work still awaited her.

She was feeling much better. Her skin completely healed and her chakra network still feeling sore but now no longer making her want to scream bloody murder whenever she canceled chakra through them. Though that did not mean she could go overboard with using chakra. Not yet.

Stretching her arms above her head, she waited for the telling _pop_ sound before releasing a relieved sigh. She waved and greeted the people milling about the building as she made her way back to her office, unable to stop the smile which bloomed on her face from the sight.

It was all, _so peaceful_.

Her village.

Her people.

She had a lot of work to do if she didn't want to disappoint the expectations and faith everyone who took a chance by joining her.

Michiko stood for a moment longer, to look around herself, before retreating to the pile of paperwork that never seemed to diminish no matter what she did. (Or not stay so for very long)

Only when evening was upon them did Michiko take a proper break, leaning into her chair as Toshio finished filing the last of the now completed paperwork. The redhead eyed her tidy desk, memorising the beauty of it as she _knew_ , by the time she returned to this office tomorrow Toshio would have procured even _more paperwork_ for her to do.

Briefly Michiko had to ponder just where exactly did all the tress used to make this paper came from.

"Want to grab something to eat?" Snapping out of her thoughts, Michiko turned towards the male. Unable to voice her reply before her stomach did it for her.

Blushing a bright red, the teen refused to make eye contact with what was undoubtedly a smirking Toshio. She made her way past him, the male only a step behind her. Closing and sealing the office the Uzumaki duo took to the streets. Hunting for their dinner booth using visual and olfactory clues.

In the end they settled for a stand which sold perch karaage that they enjoyed alongside some seasonal vegetables and sake before making their way home.

Home, a word which now made Michiko think of the small compound that belonged solely to the Uzumaki, rather than the little house in the woods which she grew up in.

Once there, she greeted Chintsū, who was perched on top of a large rock, overseeing Makoto and Koharu's spar. The older man spared the two a glance, raising a hand in a silent greeting before returning to giving the twins instructions.

Koharu was the more outgoing of the two, and the louder one. She almost always volunteered first for a task, no matter how menial, and was the first to complain if something didn't go the way she wanted. Yet it was quiet Makoto who seemed to have the upper hand in this spar. Finding himself on the offensive more often than his sister.

"Ugh, Koharu's going to be whiny tonight…again," Toshio grumbled, shoulders slumped, as he ran a hand through his messy hair. The action drawing Michiko's attention from the fight to the males' arm.

'Why does he have to be so hot?' the redhead moaned in her head. This wasn't the first time she thought it either.

Toshio was stupidly good looking, not to mention he had a tendency to dislike long sleeved shirts. 'Or shirts in general,' Michiko grumbled mentally. Recalling more than one instance where Toshio was prancing about the compound topless.

What? She was still a growing woman with twice the amount of hormones swimming through her system as she rode the last wave of puberty.

It was the pitter patter of rapid footsteps which brought Michiko out of her musings. Her body swivelling to the right almost on instinct as she lowered herself to receive an armful of happy child.

Smiling in happiness herself, Michiko tightened her grip around Kimimaro's middle before raising to her full hight, spinning around for a bit and enjoying the delighted cries the boy made before finally lowering him to the ground.

It pleased her to no end to see Kimimaro behaving this way. Even if it was just around her that he did. (Not that she was complaining about that bit) But it showed that he came a long way from the boy she found huddled in the snow.

"Welcome home," he murmured, still holding one of her hands, before turning around and repeating the greeting for Toshio, who nodded his head in acknowledgment and ruffled his hair as he made his way towards his house.

Likewise, Michiko and Kimimaro returned to their house as well, the boy attempting to fill the entirety of the small journey with the events of his day.

Once inside, she found her mother in the living room reading a book whilst Seiichi played in the corner with his toys. The toddler cooing and giggling at whatever it was he was imagining in that tiny head of his.

She stopped by her mother's side long enough to plant a kiss on her cheek before swopping in and taking her little brother from his game. Tickling him before he could start crying and planting several wet kisses all over the child's face.

"Mi- _mii_!" he cried in delight, his fingers latching onto her shirt before she plonked him back in his corner. Kimimaro practically flying in when he saw the child about to cry. Distracting him with toys and stories Michiko was half certain he invented and half repeated from whatever others have told the baby in the past.

Chuckling to herself Michiko shared a knowing look with her mother before saying that she was going to go take a bath. "Don't hog the bathroom for too long!" Natsumi warned as Michiko disappeared down the hallway.

—.—.—

The days were going by quickly, the first part of the chūnin exams were set to happen today.

Yesterday, Michiko received a message reassuring her that all the teams arrived in Konoha on time and safe. They might have arrived a day earlier than the official date the village opened their gates for the foreign shinobi…but they were allies. Exceptions were made.

Michiko herself couldn't join them till the final stage, more due to having far too much work to do than that she couldn't go. And _maybe_ there was no need to rub the alliance between their villages in from of foreign shinobi. _Maybe_.

Anyway, that was not what was important right now. What was important was to coordinate with the Uzu nobles and other wealthy patrons that were interested, or might be interested in seeing the exams this year before going to pick up Kimimaro from the academy.

'And wasn't that a whole story on its own,' Michiko thought in amusement. Unable to prevent the smile which spread on her face when thinking of the boy. Kimimaro _breezed_ through the academy. Well, _kinda_.

He was top in taijutsu, across the entire academy. Not even the older students stood a chance. Although, if Michiko was to be perfectly honest, if it came to a life or death match she very much doubted even the academy instructors stood a chance.

He could easily be promoted to genin, he had the skill. What he didn't have, and what Michiko insisted upon, was experience with people his own age. He also still struggled somewhat with the theory side of things but that could be more or less ignored when considering his talent.

 _However_ , he was still _a boy_. One who never had a chance at a childhood and if getting him to at least _be forced_ to interact with his age group and not worry about who to kill next meant she had to keep him in the academy for longer than he strictly needed, _well then so be it_.

She could deal with a sulky Kimimaro. It was actually kinda cute.

Stamping and signing the last of the blasted paperwork, she placed it in the tray for Toshio to sort out before getting up and determinately marching out of the office. Passing by Heiwa on her way out, she made her way through the streets of Uzushio, stoping by every now and then to return a greeting and to buy some mochi from the nice old lady that owned the sweats shop on the corner.

Nearing the academy she passed by several children, in groups or individually picked up by their families, most recognising her and throwing a greeting her way as they hurried along to whatever destination they had in mind.

Kimimaro wasn't hard to spot, standing near the entrance waiting patiently while a group of girls were trying to engage in conversation with him. 'At least he isn't outright ignoring them,' she thought, watching as Kimimaro's mouth moved every now and then, even if his gaze was wandering and not focused on them.

She waited for a moment longer, till the boy finally caught sight of her and made his way to her. Though she frowned when noticing that Kimimaro did not bother to say his goodbyes, a look he caught and caused his expression to morph into one of worry.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked once he was within arm's length. Bending down lightly to kiss his temple, Michiko suppressed a sigh. Kimimaro could be so oblivious.

"Did you say goodbye to those girls?" she asked, motioning with her hand towards the dispersing group. Taking a moment to process her question while blinking in confusion Kimimaro finally seemed to realise what it was he did wrong. Turning around he noticed that it was already too late and the girls that were talking to him earlier were gone.

He was about to apologise to Michiko when he felt her ruffling his hair. Blinking owlishly up at the woman he wanted to question her change in behaviour.

"Make sure you apologise to them tomorrow all right? For now, how does a walk and mochi sound like?" the woman chirped happily, holing up the hand in which she held the plastic bag containing the box of sweats.

And Kimimaro couldn't contain the happiness from his face as she held out her hand for him to hold and the two took the long way back home.

—.—.—

Michiko couldn't keep postponing this discussion. She _didn't even know_ _why_ she was postponing it in the first place. Well, she supposed there was _a lot_ to do after she returned from Oni no Kuni. Then when she got the clear to train again she lost herself in that…and really what was the big deal?

I mean it couldn't be worse than letting them mull over the events and a conclusion on their own. If worse came to worse she could forbid them from speaking about it and resort to closely monitoring them in order to reduce the risk of them leaking this info…

Michiko groaned, allowing her forehead to greet the surface of her cluttered desk with a distinctive thud. She was never going to get it done like this.

And didn't she say she would change? Become someone worth following like Miroku-sama? Someone unafraid to step up when the situation demanded it? Without hesitation?

How could she claim something like that when she was afraid of facing her own people. Hell one of them was essentially her _uncle_.

'Coward. That's exactly what I am,' she bemoaned mentally, propping her head on her hand, staring blankly at the door. Deciding that it was now or never she called for Toshio telling him to send a message for Rahyō and Midori, as well as make sure their family was gathered at the main house this evening. She might as well tell them as well and be done with it. She knew it was eating at Toshio to learned what happened but was tactful enough to bite his tongue.

He gave her one curious look, raising an eyebrow in the way that drove Michiko crazy because she couldn't mimic it for the life of her, before exiting her office to do as asked.

'Well this was going to be fun,' she thought sarcastically, turning her attention once more to her paperwork in an effort to distract herself till the promised time.

—.—.—

You know that feeling when you are late for a class? Everyone is already seated, the teacher began their lesson and you just barge in the room? All eyes automatically turn towards you and do not leave till you are settled and the lesson resumes?

Yes well Michiko had a sudden sense of déjà vu as she entered the main house's living room. Everyone was already assembled, curious looks were throw her way and she really, _really_ wanted to eat some udon right now.

Maybe now wasn't the time to be thinking about food.

Taking a seat at the end of the room she took a moment to survey everyone gathered.

"My apologises for not doing this sooner after returning from the mission in Oni no kuni, I promised I would explain what happened and this is what I am going to do today," she began, not missing how the people involved in said mission straightened.

"Hold what? What is this about?" Toshio asked, arms crossed before his chest.

"Those of you who weren't on the mission know I was severely injured but not the reason why. While those who have accompanied me will probably have reached your own conclusions based on what you have seen," the teen continued, ignoring the way her parents' eyes narrowed.

"You mean that chakra," Rahyō confirmed, frowning in thought.

"Yes," Michiko agreed. "How many of you know about the Kyūbi's attack on Konoha?"

"Michiko!" Natsumi exclaimed aghast, eyes darting about the room in evident worry.

"Enough," the girl said, raising her palm in her parents' direction to silence further protests.

"A few years ago the Kyūbi was unleashed upon Konohagakure, destroying much of the village and was eventually stopped by the Yondaime Hokage. An action which cost him his life. You were also present and one of the reasons a large portion of the villagers escaped after restraining the fox for a short while," Toshio narrated, recalling all the information he knew about this attack. By this point almost everyone was frowning, attempting to piece together the information. —except Seiichi, he was just confused about the entire thing—

It really didn't take that long to do so. The existence of the bijū and jinchūriki were not a secret in Uzushio. It was Midori, however, who spoke first. Gasping in surprise and looking at Michiko with wide green eyes.

"You're a jinchūriki," she nearly whispered, causing a few people to freeze as the dots joined up in their minds as well. Daichi was not amongst them, looking at Michiko contemplatively.

"I thought as much," he admitted to the now quiet room, sighing and slouching.

"What I don't get is how Konoha let you go," he told her, making eye contact for the first time.

"Wait a second," Midori's voice interrupted, "but if you are a jinchūriki why would its chakra damage you so much?"

"Chakra?" Takeshi asked, frowning at his daughter before realisation shone in his eyes. "You _used_ its chakra?! Are you —,"

" _His_ chakra. Kurama is not an it otō-san, we had this discussion before," Michiko interrupted him, frowning right back at her father who was giving her an incredulous look.

"Like I care about that! You were bed ridden because of that _thing_!" he nearly shouted, causing Seiichi to tear up and the twins to back away a few inches. Having never seen the Uzumaki male so livid before.

"I am _alive_ because of Kurama! Or it would of been in a coffin you saw me when we got back, not a hospital bed ttebane," she hissed, angry on behalf of Kurama, though she was willing to bet he was sheeting and muttering about ignorant humans himself.

"You would be dead?" Kimimaro's questioned in a small voice, eyes filled with horror as he stared at Michiko. It, at least, seemed to draw everyone's attention and calm down the tension somewhat.

Sighing, feeling like she suddenly aged at least ten years, Michiko reached out for the boy, who looked only a moment away from crying.

"I'm not dead, Kurama saw to that," she murmured, holding the boy close and petting his head in shooting motions.

"The technique I used before was forbidden by our ancestors due to the cost it poses," Michiko began explaining, "Shirei —Natsumi nearly got up at this point— is designed to summon a horde of lower shinigami which will aid the user. However it constantly drains the user at a rapid pace and I had miscalculated just how much it would take. Kurama had to force his chakra past the seal in order to prevent my life force being used once I ran out of chakra. His and the other bijū's chakra is naturally corrosive, thought they can prevent their jinchūriki from being damaged by it if they want to. But considering that it took a lot of Kurama's concentration to push so much chakra past the seal to begin with he couldn't help with anything else. The damage to my coils is, as stated in the medical records, due to a sudden overload of chakra being pushed through them," she finished explaining.

"What about the seal?" Honoka voiced for the first time, eyes sparkling in curiosity. "The seal is intact and fine —she ignored the sighs of relief from many of the people present— nothing was permanently damaged," she told them which was partially a lie. The seal was loosened. Which Kurama was not unaware of but chose to do nothing about.

"And Konoha?" Chintsū added, referring back to Daichi's earlier question.

"The Hokage is, of course, aware of me being a jinchūriki but promised to keep it a secret as a favour to Kushina-nee and myself," Michiko said, waving a dismissing hand when she saw that Daichi still wanted to question it. It wasn't the most satisfactory answer but it will have to do for now. She wasn't about to mention Naruto.

The room was basked in silence more or less, the occasional shuffle and sniffle from Seiichi being the only noises heard.

It was, if Michiko was being honest, rather frustrating. She couldn't really tell what everyone was thinking and neither did she know what to say herself.

"Sooo…" Mikomi broke the silence, drawing all eyes towards herself. "Does that mean you have nine fluffy tails?"

Silence.

And then a snort from Toshio. Airi looked aghast at her daughter but seemed to have no words of reprimand as her mouth opened and closed, resembling very much a fish out of water. Kōmyō and Koharu seemed to have no problem with outright laughing at the whole thing while Daichi simply looked at the ceiling, seeming to ask it for help.

Honoka on the other hand looked very contemplative at the notion, much like Michiko in fact, which did not go unnoticed by her father who seemed too flabbergasted to say or do anything other then cradle his head in his hands.

Etsuko giggled as Makoto looked at his mother in confusion, not quite getting the joke and poor Midori and Rahyō looked painfully awkward amongst the group.

Michiko snapped out of her musings when Toshio got up and plonked himself next to her, a hand going shooting up to ruffle her hair, the way he would his sister's, before placing it around her shoulders, and said, pinning her with his dark eyes:

"Well, that wasn't so bad now was it?" And Michiko was suddenly felt an invisible weight being lifted on her shoulders as she leaned on Toshio:

"No, it wasn't. It really wasn't."

—.—.—

The sound of writing and paper shuffling was the only sound which filled the room in which Michiko and Honoka found themselves in.

The older Uzumaki female was busy ready over some mission reports, while younger one was busy attempting to understand the sealing formula before her.

Currently, the two were several feet underground, in the records archive where they kept all of their classified techniques. (Not to be confused with the archive in which they kept mission reports) It was an old room, with security seals older than Ayaka and one of the reasons Uzushio's original destruction remained even more of a mystery.

There was always the chance that foreigners never discovered it, though considering the years which passed between the destruction and subsequent rebuilding of the village Michiko found that hard to believe. After all, they found it by relative accident and not because they were looking for it.

So it did make Michiko question whether or not their village was attacked for their knowledge—though she was certain looters after the event did come here for that reason.

Archives and buildings which hosted important documents were destroyed, along with the information they held, but that could be attributed to the fact that the destruction was mainly centred around the inner part of the village —'were most of the Uzumaki lived,' a voice in her head liked to point out— where said building existed.

The underground tunnels network was mainly untouched with the exception of certain bits of it were the ceiling collapsed —'just enough to trap in the people trying to escape'—

This particular room had been untouched over the years, and even if it was found in the past, the seals keeping it locked were indeed a sight to behold and could only be appreciated by a formed eye. Which was another way of saying they were a complete bitch to undo and considering the only reason she was able to do so was because of Goro's diaries…Michiko would have really loved to meet the man who was once not only the guardian of this room (a duty, Michiko learnt from Ayaka, was passed on from master to student along with the fox scroll) but the previous fox summoner.

He sounded awesome, if slightly unhinged based of his writings.

"Shisho," Honoka broke the silence, causing Michiko to look up from the report she was reading.

"Why would you mix a three point seal with a six point one? Wouldn't that destabilise the entire formula and make this barrier unusable?" she questioned, large dark eyes filed with confusion.

"It does…normally. Look at the formula closer, see where the who seals meet and tell me what you can see," the redhead ordered watching Honoka do as instructed, brow furrowed in both confusion and concentration.

—.—.—

The first and second round of the chūnin exams passed and out of the twenty-seven genin sent, nineteen returned after failing the second round. Not as bad as it might sound. Not when it meant that a new village to enter the chūnin exams have seven genin in the final round on their first go on foreign land.

Not bad at all.

And Michiko still congratulated them all when they returned, telling them they did good for returning to the village alive, if somewhat battered in some cases, and that they better shape up for next time.

The seven that did pass found it more convenient to remain in Konoha for the next month before the final phase. A wise decision as there was really no point in returning only to soon leave anyway.

The redhead also received a formal invitation from Sarutobi to be present at said phase, an unneeded formality for them, but which showed respect on his side. Something which touched Michiko though she wouldn't say it out loud.

She also received confirmations from all those wanting to see the finals (those who lived in Uzu that is) and has arranged for each to be escorted by shinobi from her village, especially the daimyō who seemed really pleased about Uzushio's participation in the finals.

And if her office was filled with ninja coming and going like headless chicken to help prepare everything…well she didn't want to imagine how it must be like for a hosting village.

A week passed, then two, finally three went by and there was one more till the final. She also received a crow summon recently bearing a message from Itachi who announced that he would pe taking part in the upcoming finals as well. Michiko grinned, not surprised in the least about the news, —truth be told the brat will probably win the tournament— but because she knew Itachi was more shy than people gave him credit so this must have been a rather embarrassing letter to write, if his use of overly formal and technical language (he tends to be rather casual in other letters) was anything to go by.

Then, when the exam was no more than two days away, Michiko had a packed and sealed her supplies as well as Kimimaro's who was too excited about the exams for her to leave him behind. The families and close friends of those participating in the final have long since left for Konoha to be there on the fateful day to show their support.

The two instead will be journeying via hiraishin no jutsu, Michiko maybe a tad _too_ eager about the prospect that strictly healthy.

Toshio also waltzed into the room, a scroll with his own supplies found in the pouch strapped to his left thigh. He was to come see the finals as well, his own elevation masked much better than Kimimaro's but present all the same. They said their goodbyes before Michiko grasped them both by their hands and they were gone in a blink.

Only to appear in Kushina's house where Ayaka was already waiting for them, an open scroll in her lap and a tiny Naruto squinting at it. Though, the moment he noticed the trio now in his living room the blonde ball of happiness bounced excitedly towards them. Michiko already prepared to receive him in her arms. After thoroughly kissing the now squirming boy she released him, only for him to go hug Kimimaro and start telling him _everything_ that happened to him since the two last saw each other.

Toshio was already by Ayaka's side, the two hating after exchanging greetings. Making her way by her grandmother's side the redhead placed a kiss on her aged cheek before inquiring about Kushina's whereabouts.

"She when out to buy more food considering she has three extra stomachs to feed," the old woman teased before finally sealing whatever it was she was reading (Michiko caught a glimpse about selective organ paralysis and gave up) in order to get up and hug her granddaughter properly.

"I'm glad to see you," the old woman said softly, holding Michiko for a moment longer than normal, her fingers threading through the girl's red hair. She pulled back enough to be able to fully look at her before finally ordering her to go find Kushina and help her out. "The brat can deal with the boys," she said pointing towards Toshio who was surprising a smirk at Ayaka's callous words.

Laughing and promising Naruto she will be back shortly after the boy's complaint about her leaving again, Michiko made her way onto the busy streets of Konoha, eventually giving up and taking to the rooftops which were also more crowded than usual. More ninja having reached the same conclusion as Michiko did and preferring to avoid the constant pushing and bumping that was happening down on the streets.

She did run into Guy on the way to the market. The male was exited to see her but was currently on his hands and unable to greet her properly. They parted ways, with Guy harping on about youth at the end before zooming across the rooftops…still on his hands.

Reaching the market Michiko scanned the crowd with both visually and via chakra for Kushina, when she did find the older redhead she was only partially surprised at the shopping bags thrust in her arms before the woman returned at haggling with the seller. Something about the parsnips having been ridiculously overpriced. Michiko couldn't be sure, it all passed in a bit of a blur as she was dragged from one stall to another.

By the time they returned Michiko had a new found respect for stay at home mothers (not that Kushina was really in that category…).

They did in the end enjoy the dinner prepared by Kushina and Michiko was also filled in by Naruto regarding all that happened.

"And Itachi-nii is going to fight and it's so cool dattebayo! And kā-chan said we can go see—are you going to see it too oba-chan? Oh and I promised Sasuke i'll see him tomorrow. But he is such an asshole recen—Naruto watch your tongue or I'll do it for you!—You should come too Kimi-nii! Agh! You should fight Itachi-nii! So that — _Naruto_ —ah, I mean Sasuke can see how cool you are as well ttebayo and—" really, Michiko could barely eat anything since she needed to fully focus on Naruto in order to even _understand_ him. She didn't know how Kushina could eat, scold him _and_ carry a conversation of her own at the same time. Damn the woman was amazing.

"Mah, mah, Itachi needs to preserve his strength, his match is in two days Naruto-kun," Michiko chided gently, suppressing a wince when not just Naruto, _but Kimimaro_ also visibly deflated.

She also resisted the urge to throw something at Toshio's smirking face. _He was begging for it_.

—.—.—.—

The following morning, bright and early, ('why does Naruto need to have so much energy in the morning?') the Uzumaki —and Kaguya— group was making their was towards the Uchiha compound, though Michiko insisted on stopping by to see the Uzushio genin. Genin who were not prepared —or happy— to see their village leader so early in the morning. Which resulted in hilarious tripping over one another, duvets and scattered gear in order to properly greet the redhead.

After their due congratulations Michiko also took enough time to impart some more _adult_ advice, —"So if you want your bombs to have the same power over a wider area all you have to do is change this one _little_ character,"— before resuming their journey.

Somewhat surprisingly they found the Uchiha household awake. Mikoto greeted them with a bright smile and beckoned them inside, Fugaku paused in his reading long enough to acknowledge them as well, a still groggy Sasuke was seated at the table, not in the mood for Naruto's exuberant personality _quite_ yet and Itachi was calmly drinking his tea, a small smile blooming on his face at the sight of them.

"Yo squirt!" Michiko greeted cheerfully, having already greeted Fugaku separately ("Fugaku-oji! Good morning!" followed by a hug from behind. She skilfully dogged his swatting hand) ruffling Sasuke's already disorderly hair before going round the table to hug Itachi.

"You feeling ready to crush the competition?" she asked, ignoring Toshio —"You know some of them are our genin right?—

They exchanged a few words before Kushina barked at them to take a seat as Mikoto began bringing out food. Michiko ended up sitting next to Itachi with Kimimaro on her right and Naruto and Sasuke on the other side.

They didn't need much encouraging to dig in, Naruto needing more than one reprimand about his manners during the meal.

It was a really peaceful and happy morning. _Really_. So of course something had to go wrong. Well not _wrong_ but…

"Itachi is taking part in the chūnin exam final tomorrow. Fighting Kimimaro now _would not_ be a good idea. So stop trying to egg them on you two," Michiko scolded the two youngest in the room.

"A good warm up spar never was a bad idea," Fugaku said, giving Michiko a look above his newspaper and the teen had to suppress the urge to growl at the older man. 'Bloody arrogance,' she thought in annoyance, not actually paying attention to the two this conversation was about.

"I must agree with Michiko —as surprising as that is, on this one Fugaku-san," Toshio gave his input. Michiko torn between smiling and wanting to hit her cousin. "Kimimaro, for all his skill, doesn't really know how to hold back," he added and Michiko wanted to cry. 'Now you've done it.' she though, noticing Itachi's interest piquing at this bit of news and Fugaku standing up straighter.

Men. She was surrounded by bloody men and nobody, not even Kushina, was helping her.

She tried in being to protest, but she knew all was lost when Itachi asked Kimimaro if he would be up for a spar. And she couldn't, or rather, she didn't want to say no to Kimimaro when he turned around to ask for her permission. His teal eyes were bright with want. He really enjoyed fighting. Like, really enjoyed it. Though not when his opponents were so pathetically outclassed by him, like all the academy students he found himself facing nearly daily.

And Toshio was one of the few who understood this. One of the few who _knew_ Kimimaro's true skill as he did take the time to spar with the boy. And while Toshio wasn't necessarily the best fighter in the world…he was trained by Takeshi, and the man prided himself on his strict training regime. Thus the male was definitely above average in skill, especially taijutsu. _And Kimimaro still made him bleed_.

Giving a sight of resignation and a look towards the heavens (where she was certain the Gods were laughing at her) Michiko condoned the fight. "Do try to restrain yourself though," she warned Kimimaro. And sweet innocent Itachi suggested that they keep the spar to taijustu only. Michiko nearly broke in hysteric laughter.

Instead she followed everyone outside, siting in perfect seiza on the egawa, arms crossed beneath her chest, ignoring everyone, her eyes sorely focused on the two boys who took a stand across from each other in the garden.

Mikoto, lovely hostess that she is, brought tea and sweets for everyone to enjoy before taking a seat next to Kushina, Sasuke sitting on her other side while Naruto decided to hog Kushina.

Michiko also wanted to roll her eyes when she felt Shisui —'who invited him?'— materialise in the tree on the other side of the garden, undoubtedly here to watch.

Then, at some sign only the two boys saw, they clashed, eliciting awed gasps from both Naruto and Sasuke. As promised, they fought using only taijutsu, neither boy giving it their all as they tried to gauge the skill of the other. But they soon got bored of that and Itachi, surprisingly, was the one to increase the pace and force of his blows. It wasn't hard to note that he was frowning when Kimimaro didn't even miss a single moment and deftly blocked each and every strike, barely any different from before.

Itachi changed tactics. Bringing out several kunai that he flung at Kimimaro. It wasn't cheating, it was all still taijutsu, chakra not used more than what the body always unconsciously used. But the change didn't faze the boy in the slightest, in fact he seemed _disappointed_. ' _Oh boy_.'

"Okā-san —Michiko's heart fluttered each time Kimimaro used the honorific— said you were strong Itachi-san," Kimimaro said, this time grabbing Itachi's arm when the the boy when in for a strike, twisting it before flipping him. He twisting around, much faster then Itachi expected, sending a powerful kick to his abdomen that had the Uchiha flying across the clearing.

It was quiet for a heartbeat, then Itachi appeared before Kimimaro and unleashed a volley of attacks, much faster than before taking the Kaguya enough by surprise that some of the hits _landed_.

Looking at Itachi Michiko was only half surprised to see the sharingan activated and finally sighed.

'Well there went the pure taijutsu rule,' she thought.

"That boy isn't bad, but it is over now" Fugaku began, turning around slightly to face Michiko. Ok, now Michiko was feeling her motherly pride being attacked so her words came out more biting than she intended them to:

"That _boy_ , Fugaku, killed grown ass _jōnin_ when he was much younger. So I'm sorry to disappoint but this is far from over. _Especially_ since Itachi just made the use of kekkei genkai possible." If someone were to replace the two with hissing cats it would make no difference.

The others on the other hand looked towards Michiko in shock at the news, turning their gazes to Toshio when they realised they weren't getting anything out of the girl.

The Uzumaki male on the other hand chose to shrug as a way of answering them.

"Kid had a tough life in Kiri before Michiko found him." His gaze, like Michiko's, not moving from the fight before him.

There was a minuscule break in the fight where the boys exchanged a few words, agreeing on the new terms of their fight before resuming.

Itachi had a kunai in his hand, sharigan blazing while Kimimaro took on a new stance. At some point during this exchange Shisui changed position from the tree he was perched in, to the egawa, Mikoto wordlessly handing him a cup of tea.

The two were locked in close combat, Kimimaro keeping lower to the ground than normal as he dodged and parried his attacks, leaving Michiko wondering why he kept staying on the offensive like that. It wasn't really his style.

"I think he took your warning to heart," Toshio said, almost as if he could read her mind. It was really creepy how he kept doing that.

However when Itachi changed the angle of his kunai, turning it to bring it down in a plunging motion, he was not the only one astonished to see the kunai break upon contact with Kimimaro's arm. Taking advantage of the boy's momentary shock, the grabbed Itachi's arm, preventing him from jumping forwards. Then, before anyone could realise what happened a bone emerged from Kimimaro's other palm which he was bringing towards Itachi as if to strike him through the neck.

The Uchiha was fast enough to dodge, in an exemplary feat of mobility, arching his back and using his free arm to support his weigh as he pushed of the ground with his feet and kicked Kimimaro in the chin, causing the boy to release his grip.

Retreating a few paces, Itachi stared at the discarded kunai handle, the bone porting from Kimimaro's palm and attempted to place the pieces together. Though before he could do that Kimimaro finally unleashed the full extent of the willow, growing seven more long bone blades. His clothes were slightly matted with blood from where the bones broke muscle and skin and where Itachi's kunai hit but Michiko knew the muscle and skin tissue has already mended.

And them he charged.

Taking Itachi by surprise with the sheer speed and power he suddenly displayed. For all that the sharingan could help Itachi see Kimimaro's movements more clearly, even give help him anticipate the next move he would make, Itachi was simply _not fast enough_ to dodge each strike, as his torn up clothes would testify. When Kimimaro jumped, launching a rating strike at Itachi, his bones met no resistance as they teared through flesh.

The boy's green eyes widened in panic, having believed Itachi to dodge and was further confused when " _Itachi_ " transformed in a puff of smoke.

"Kage bunshin," Michiko commented appreciatively from the side. It was not a technique meant for genin.

Four more of said clones surrounded Kimimaro, kunai heal in each as they attacked Kimimaro from different angles, clearly meant as a form of reconnaisse in an attempt to identify any weak spots.

Kimimaro had none.

To an extent.

He could manipulated his bones however he so pleased. If he wanted, he could even make them grow to cover his entire chest cavity, preventing anyone from gutting him. The only _weak spot_ Michiko could think of were his eyes as those could be destroyed.

Not that that was to be the case in this instance.

Swiftly destroying his clones Kimimaro attempted to find the real Itachi, growing frustrated when he couldn't. The sizzling of the grass and the heat where his only warnings of the great fire ball headed his way. Jumping, with the aid of chakra, he twisted mid air, parring the kunai which came his way with the bones he grew.

When he landed he went for Itachi's location, only for the boy to disintegrate in a murder of crows upon impact.

It seems Itachi realised he wouldn't win in close combat.

But neither would he be able to tire Kimimaro out before he ran out of chakra first.

And that proved true as the battle continued on for several more minutes. The breathings were mesmerised by the fight and have long since quieted down. Shisui would make a comment every now and then after a particular display of skill while the adults preferred to keep quiet and not take their eyes off the fight.

In the end, Kimimaro came out victorious. Itachi having held on amazingly through the fight despite his cuts and bruises which now liberally marred his skin. Even if the Uchiha boy managed to get a kunai at the Kaguya's neck they all by now understood that it made no difference. All it would do was cut skin that would rapidly heal anyway.

Nevertheless, even if Kimimaro was holding back so as to not use lethal force (Michiko was really so proud of him for that), this fight dragged on much more than any of his usual ones would, evident by his irregular breathing.

And if the way both boys eyes gleamed was anything to go by…this wouldn't be their last spar and for someone that lost, Itachi looked _exhilarated_.

Michiko guessed the boy suffered from the same thing Kimimaro did; not having someone close in age that challenged them in skill. (Well, except Shisui but that boy was also often away on missions)

Beckoning them forward after the imminent praise —thought Fugaku was a bit of a grump he couldn't deny Kimimaro's talent— Michiko beckoned the boys forward. Itachi still had an exam tomorrow after all so Michiko figured she could make an exception to her, only when needed clause as she instructed Itachi to bite as hard as he could after baring her left arm to him.

Blinking in utter confusion at the order Itachi looked from Michiko to his parents.

"Oh stop looking like that, it will transfer some of my chakra to you and heal your wounds ttebane," she said slightly exasperated, her speech tic coming through, when Itachi wrinkled his nose at the prospect. (Kushina was laughing in the corner, hands holding her belly and tears in her eyes)

Still not quite liking the prospect but going through with it anyway he did admit to surprise after witnessing his words healing and feeling invigorated. Michiko only role her eyes, wiped the spit from her arm and rumpled his hair after he took a seat to her left, Kimimaro having taken the right.

"Mah, you have to be prepared for tomorrow and kick everyone's ass now don't you?" she teased, finally relaxing and giving a wide smile.

"I still wonder if you remember some of those genin are _ours_ ," Toshio sighed in exasperation, causing Michiko to laugh.

* * *

 **A/N: The amount of trouble I got by trying to upload this mess of a chapter ugh! Wouldn't let me copy-past into Safari, Firefox didn't same my italics, uploading a file didn't work for the live of me and I tried all extensions UGH... fanfiction please get your shit together. _Please_.**

 **Anyway, mini rant over. Thank you lovelies for all of your kind words! Thank you for bothering to read this story. For taking the time to review it and following its' updates. _Thank you_. **

**I tried to get more than one thing done in this chapter and get nearer to the chūnin exam. So that I could move on to the next arc (might be maniacally laughing in my head right now)...actually I always do this. I get excited about an upcoming arc only to be like meh when I get there and look forward to the next one *facepalm***

 **Right, so Kimimaro vs Itachi. I think that now, as they are, it makes more sense for Kimi to win. He had a harsher upbringing than Itachi and was sorely trained as a weapon before Michiko not to mention that his kekkei genkai makes it ridiculously hard to injure him. In the stats table it shows that Kimimaro also has higher stamina (aka chakra) than Itachi, which could be attributed to Itachi's declining health but Kimimaro wasn't exactly the poster child for health either so I think he would naturally have more chakra than Itachi even when they are both at full health so a strategy to outlast Kimimaro wouldn't work for Itachi.**

 **In the future they will be more or less evenly matched.**

 **Any questions about this chapter? Fell free to drop me a PM if you do not wish to ask me in a review XD**

 **Seen more of Toshio in this chapter ;) and tried to do that thing that other authors are so good at where they write about a character's day but its more flowing. It didn't really work, I just can't seem to be able to go on about one thing and then to rush through event. Good? Bad? I don't really know. I like trying new things but they don't necessarily come naturally. Sorry about that.**

 **Halloween is coming soon and I would like to do something for it but I am not quite sure what. I guess an Omake would make the most sense but I have no idea what to write ;A; Any suggestions? Anything in particular you would like seeing? Guy belly dancing? Michiko running around the village with a gaggle of children following her?**


	36. Winner and Scarecrow

The village was abuzz as people filled the streets of Konoha, excited chatter about the chūnin exams being more or less the only conversation Michiko was able to catch as she made her way to the Hokage tower. People who were just arriving at the village were crowded at the gates, waiting their turn to have their paperwork approved and be let inside, eager to make their way towards the arena and hoping to still find seats if they weren't part of the crowd which had a special spot reserved just to themselves.

This was just the kind of atmosphere and energy Michiko _enjoyed_.

But not when she has been stuck for the better part of the day in the Hokage tower waiting for the bloody Raikage to show up because for one reason or another he _actually_ decided to show up. Something that surprised even Hiruzen and made the council somewhat wary about the whole thing and…did Michiko mention how _hungry_ she was? Because right about now she was willing to even go for a portion of ma po tofu. And that said something because Michiko _really_ disliked overly spicy food.

And she knew that to dish be particularly spicy because Anko once dared her to eat it.

She didn't speak with Anko for the rest of the day. Though it seemed her friend was content with mocking her.

Right. Back to the topic at hand.

Ay was _late_ and Michiko was not impressed. And she just knew he was doing it on purpose too. Asshole.

Eventually he did arrive, not in the bit sorry for his tardiness, and they moved to a larger meeting room where the three village leaders went over the day's programme.

Normally, one wouldn't really bother to invite a village head to the chūnin exams unless they had a good number of genin in the final, were related to a participant in some way, or to show a good relationship between their villages. In the Raikage's case it was the first one, four genin was not bad (keep in mind finals weren't meant to be dragged out too much), while in Michiko's case it was the first and last reasons which applied.

All three if you counted Itachi. Who was more like a little brother to the redhead. In a way he was more so than even _Seiichi_ , if by sheer virtue that Michiko could actually hold an elaborate conversation with Itachi and even fight the child, while that could not happen with her blood brother. _Yet_.

That is not to say that Michiko wouldn't eviscerate anyone imbecilic enough to think that even so much as touching a hair on her baby brother's head with the intent to harm was a smart idea.

It was an ideology even peace loving Itachi could agree with.

Returning back to the main point. Unless one of those reasons was present a village head wouldn't really be invited by the hosting village. Pretty much because all the political implications and security risks weren't worth it.

Sarutobi talked the two through the days events —Michiko, unfortunately, couldn't wander about the village while Ay was essentially forced to remain were Hiruzen could see him. Political fairness and all that— explaining all the important political figures coming and how promising this batch of genin looked like yada, yada.

If there was ever a time Michiko and Ay agreed on something it was during that meeting. Because for all that the Uzumaki _liked_ Sarutobi, this was pure boredom.

And it was compulsory boredom that, for the sake of politeness, she had to at least pretend she found interesting.

Ay didn't. And Michiko hated that she felt slightly jealous of the overly muscular man who just bluntly stated what he thought. The two of them might have actually gotten along in a different life.

Nevertheless the morning passed and the three village heads were making their way towards the arena, accompanied by their guard who were simultaneously trying to be invisible and threatening. Rahyō, who arrived last night, was engaged in a staring competition with a Kumo ninja for one reason or another. Pity the Konoha ANBU couldn't join in due to their masks pretty much obscuring their eyes from others.

Once at the arena they ascended up a flight of stairs, making their way to the top booth reserved just for them, when a familiar voice called Michiko's name. Pausing the redhead turned to face Izumi who was excitedly making her way to Michiko, slowing down as she realised that maybe she didn't catch the redhead at the best time.

By the time she stood before Michiko Izumi was red in the face and mumbling a myriad of apologises directing them at Hiruzen, Ay and the Uzumaki respectively.

Michiko for her part had to bite back a laugh and ruffled the Uchiha's hair affectionately. Doing a marvellous job of ignoring Ay's scroll while Hiruzen held in a snicker.

"Mah, I haven't had a chance to see you and your mother in a while. She here with you? Tell her I said hi and I will come by to visit before I go," the teen instructed, watching the smile bloom once again on Izumi's face before the young Uchiha returned to her group of friends. (All looking at the girl with various levels of incredulity displayed on their faces as the brunette bounced back to them.)

"Friendly with the Uchiha clan aren't you Uzumaki?" Ay remarked offhandedly, looking almost bored as he said it.

"Well, they _are_ family," Michiko chirped right back, willing her body to not stiffen and adopt the nonchalant posture Fujinoma-sensei taught her long ago. Maybe she was being paranoid. After all, it wasn't like Kumo was known to dabble in the habit of [attempting to] kidnap clan children or anything. _Right_.

Ay gave Michiko an indescribable look for a moment before huffing and crossing his arms. Hiruzen on the other hand had a serene expression on his face as he aded his own comments to the bucket.

"Ah, yes. Michiko has always been rather close to the Uchiha clan. Though I believe the proceeding are due to start shortly," and up they went. All the way to the top where they took a seat in one of the three chairs provided, their semi-concealed guards behind them.

It took a couple more minutes for things to calm down to a more manageable level and the contestants began entering the arena. This was also the moment to notice the large number of genin who passed. Because for an international chūnin exam having fifteen finalist was a large number and you better hoped the people watching didn't grow bored.

There were five Uzu participants, six from Konoha, one of which was Itachi, and as mentioned before, four Kumo shinobi.

Looking over the assembled genin Michiko couldn't help the corners of her lips pulling up. The sun was high up in the sky and every now and then her genin's headbands would catch the sunlight _just right_ and it would be reflected.

Off their _Uzushiogakure_ headbands.

To be perfectly honest she might feel the slightest urge to cry but she was far too in control of her emotions to allow for such a display in their current setting.

In the end Hiruzen finally thought it the right moment to address the gathered crowd and genin, proclaiming his gratefulness to everyone assembled yada, yada.

 _So much_ _ass kissing_ , it was incredible.

The proctor called off the first pair which so happened to be a Uzu kunoichi named Aki and a Kumo boy by the name of Tarui.

Now, when the proctor gave the go ahead, one might have expected immediate action. However, the two genin remained motionless for a while, staring at each other, trying to analyse their opponent.

Aki said something along the lines of "Surrender, it will make it easier for you down the line," but Michiko couldn't have been certain as Ay began ranting over the impertinence of her genin.

Of course the Kumo boy simply scoffed and began his attack —he was really nimble, Michiko had to admit— only for Aki to take off to the arena walls. Scaling them like it was nobody's business before throwing herself from the top edge.

She was using chakra to do so no doubt, as she achieved good altitude. The moment she was more or less above the middle of the arena, the girl displayed some really flashy kunaijutsu and Michiko didn't bother to hide her smirk.

She should have probably mentioned this before, but as the selected genin were more or less specially trained for these exams, they also really loved their explosives.

Which may have to do with that one time Michiko oversaw the team training and rotated between them all to show them exactly how to apply academy level fūinjutsu in a proper combat situation.

So, in all honesty, the redhead was not even a bit surprised when the kunai all landed they detonated immediately while Aki was still mid-air. 'She must have used the heavy led kunai so they landed quicker,' the teen summarised.

Of course, it was a beautiful explosion which affected the entire arena. Sending dust and pieces of debris flying in the air. Preventing the audience, sans the sensors, from seeing what was happening.

Meanwhile, Michiko was doing an excellent job at avoiding both Hiruzen and Ay's looks.

The smoke cleared eventually and both genin were still standing. From the looks of it, Aki was also slightly affected by her attack but no where near as badly as the Kumo genin who was heroically still standing on shaking legs. The ground was also completely destroyed as she just knew the next concurrence will not appreciate this change of terrain.

The fight ended with a taijutsu bout that left Aki victorious. Now whether or not that was entirely due to the girl's taijutsu was unknown, as Tarui did brilliantly staying conscious and still putting up a fight despite the severe burns marring his body.

Either way, a win was a win and in real life it really didn't much matter how you defeated your opponent as long as you _defeated them_ and lived to tell the tale.

So Michiko clapped alongside the rest of the crowd but refrained from making any vocal cheers, while Ay was fuming beside her.

Ah, life was good.

The next match was Itachi's, though it was a bit crap in the sense that he was required to fight another Konoha shinobi. Alas. That was the way of life.

Was it even worth mentioning that the boy won his match without even using his sharingan?

Next was Shido, another one of Michiko's. He was paired up against an Aburame who wasted little time in unleashing their kikaichū. And Kami help her if she didn't find the sight of so many _bugs_ just gross. She would take being covered in blood and grime any day to insects. And to think the Aburame let those things _live inside them_.

It was kinda too bad for the Aburame but Shido was fire user, and he made sure to let the other boy know.

Next was Kumo versus Konoha which resulted in Kumo's win. Then another Kumo Uzu match resulted in the lighting village's second win in a row which might have resulted in an overly smug Raikage.

The girl, Kei, had some sort of nature release kekkei genkai. For ranton couldn't be anything else. Though in all honestly it looked more like a laser beam, it was an effective technique and the girl was proficient in using her ability no doubt about it. Of course this resulted in Joichiro's defeat but Michiko wasn't upset about it. Mainly annoyed with Ay but that was not her genin's fault. He put up a good match.

Another Uzu Konoha match followed resulting in Uzu's win, though Kotori had the grace to congratulate her opponent and offer a hand up. It unintentionally revealed that even their shinobi though well of each other, which of course reflect well upon the alliance between their villages.

Alliance in which Ay pretended to want in so he could get better access to various kekkei genkai users Kumo didn't have.

Second to last match was between Uzu's Saru and Kumo's Toroi, who lived up to his name and although a heavy hitter was far to slow. Thus unable to keep up with Saru, who also lived up to his own name. Moving more like a money than a diligently drilled genin but hey? Who was Michiko to hate? It certainly proved to be one of the more amusing fights, —kids fighting each other and causing serious injury was something she found fun…damn this world can sure change a person— especially given the fact that Saru had a tendency to toy with his opponent. Leaving behind an explosive tag always far too close to the other boy's leg. Scarring poor Toroi each time, regardless of the fact that some were duds while some were most definitely real.

Michiko might have called it a good match if it weren't for the fact that Saru most definitely acted out of bounds once the match was called in his favour. Taunting the defeated boy to the point even she was angry on the boy's behalf.

"I'll most definitely have a talk with him," Michiko said before Ay could say whatever it was he opened his mind to say.

The redhead had already known that for all that Saru won this match he wouldn't be advanced to chūnin. He was skilled but much too impulsive and clearly too arrogant for his own good. But this behaviour sealed the deal.

Michiko was aware you couldn't alert every single person's personality to fit your beliefs. You couldn't control their action and she didn't want to either. A village was an entity made up of the various people within it and some could be pleasant while others…less so.

Nevertheless, that did not mean she wouldn't deal with unacceptable behaviour when she saw it from one of her own. For his own good if nothing else.

Never underestimate your opponent. Do not flaunt your superiority and do not let your arrogance blind you. Because those could be your last mistakes.

It was something her father drilled into her head from a long age. Back when they still used to live inter home within one of Yu no Kuni's numerous forests.

They were words she believed in. Teachings she wanted to impart to the younger generation as well.

Therefore when the final match was called, which due to their numbers was between Saru and Konoha's last contender, Michiko was actually pleased when the Uzu boy had his ass handed to him.

'You won't alway fight in a place were there is still the possibility for someone to interfere and prevent your death because of your arrogance,' Michiko thought as the first round of the finals was finally over.

Leaving them with seven contestants; three from Uzushio, and two from Konoha and Kumo.

A sort break of five minutes was announced, giving the people in the tribunes a chance to go refresh or relieve themselves if they so required. It also allowed for more animated conversations to take place now that they weren't watching more battles.

When things resumed, the first fight to take place was between Itachi and Aki, which in all honesty Michiko didn't even bother believing will result in a victory for Uzushio.

It also left her slightly conflicted in regards to who to cheer for since Itachi much as well be her sibling while Aki was a genin from her village whom she had gotten a chance to better known after her selection for this exams.

Decisions, decision.

"The Uchiha will win," Ay declared in a bored tone, slouching in his chair—which was much larger than Hiruzen or hers because of the sheer size of the Raikage. Not that it was a bad thing. She might never admit it out-loud, unless heavily intoxicated, but Ay was not bad on the eye at all. Which was really unfair because he was such an annoying man and it was a pity that he was gifted with such a body. Those shoulders will be the last thing Michiko says on the topic.

"Ah," was the reply she gave while Hiruzen diplomatically said nothing in this instance. Not that anyone really needed to say anything. The winner was obvious and it was not Aki.

Although after being caught in a definitive hold the girl had the brain to give up and the two shook hands at the end.

The next matches resulted in a victory for the following: Uzushio's Shido and Kumo's Kei, who after defeating Kotori had to fight Konoha's only other genin in the competition and defeated them as well. Following that match was Itachi and Shido's which resulted in the later being knocked unconscious, leaving the final to be fought between Kumo and Konoha.

Another break was set in place to give both finalists time to prepare and for the crow to do whatever it was they wanted and could go in half an hour. Michiko unfortunately needed to remain with the two Kage so she couldn't go speak with either Itachi or her cute genin that struggled so hard.

It would have been nice to have a genin fighting in the final match, if only so she could rub it in Ay's face that they got so far on their first go. But that was really not all the Chūnin exams were.

She said it before and she will say it again. These exams were dick measuring contests. They were to put a show of their village's ability by presenting some of their youngest competitors and try to secure contracts with prominent members of the public to ensure a steady flow of income for their respective village.

And anyone with half a brain that was paying attention would have noticed a distinct difference between the 'power' displayed by the current three villages competing in the finals. Yes, Kumo and Konoha were the last one standing, however; Uzushio had the most wins from most of their genin. While the other two only ended up in the final from essentially two prodigies. (Well, she didn't know how much of a prodigy Kei was but she was definitely strong) Which wasn't exactly bad, it was good to have shinobi strong enough to carve a name for themselves in the future. It would undoubtedly bolster a village's reputation. (Negatively or not was a whole other matter)

Nevertheless, not everyone will be able to hire or request the exact same people at the same time or constantly. You couldn't expect a village to just use a fraction of their shinobi to complete missions. So you need to show that you didn't just have a couple of rising stars. But that your village as a whole contained numerous skilled ninja that would be able to successfully carry out a mission.

Something which in this particular tournament Uzushio displayed more obviously.

Not that Kumo or Konoha were to be ignored of course. Both villages were known for their strengths, and Kumo in particular had a much stronger military if one was to be perfectly honest and objective about it. However it did show Uzushio was gunning to play in the big elite so to say. It showed a start up village was able to play on the same playing field as the big five.

Now wasn't that going to have some interesting implications down the line.

The referee once again took centre stage and drew people's attention to him as he announced the beginning of the final match of this tournament, calling the last two contestants to come down.

'Ohoho~,' Michiko chuckled mentally at seeing the wary look Kei was giving Itachi. Which was fair enough considering the boy didn't look as though he had been fighting the entire afternoon while she looked a bit more…dusty.

Itachi did not waste time activating his sharingan for this match, having every intention of taking his opponent seriously. He drew out his tanto and Kei did the same for her long sword. They allowed one more moment to pass and at a signal only they understood launched themselves at one another.

The boy parried a swing aimed at taking lobbing off his head and bent backwards afterwards to avoid a swipe for his eyes. Forcing himself to do a backwards flip with one hand to put a bit more distance between the two of them. Something the girl seemed intent to not allow him to do as she went right after him.

She went for a downward strike, pushing off the ground slightly to put more weight into her attack and Itachi had to use his own blade to parry. Successfully so, had it not been for the lighting the girl channelled into her blade all of a sudden.

"No hand seals," Michiko noted, tone complimentary as she followed the fight, lips curving upwards in a smile that was a tad bit cheeky.

In response Ay actually puffed out his chest, like he needed to, and sent her a self-satisfied smirk that really made her wand to kick him. Would it be seen as a sign of war if she followed through on her desire? Hmm, decisions, decisions.

Nevertheless, Itachi overpowered the kunoichi in the end, delivering a strong kick to knock the air out of her, he then proceeded to wire the area around her, preventing her from moving least she wanted to be skewered.

The victor was called people cheered and Michiko couldn't wait to stretch her legs.

Of course, by stretching her legs she meant walking back to the Hokage tower, deal with the last political necessities before Ay and his Kumo entourage left. Surprisingly —maybe she was a bit mean— without causing any further trouble.

People in the streets were animately talking and celebrating Konoha's victory, well, if they were from Konoha or betted on it. And the Uzumaki nearly leaped out of the tower —she did keep herself in check— after a long ass meeting with both the Uzu and Hi daimyō. The latter of which couldn't stop mentioning his son to her. _Constantly_. Like he wasn't obvious enough. The man even had the gall to self invite himself in the village so they could meet!

And to coal to her fire Hiruzen found the entire situation entertaining.

She was hungry. She wanted to eat. She wanted to go see her son and congratulate Itachi and possibly destroy a training ground. She had Rahyō, who accompanied her for the day, dismissed and ordered him to enjoy the festival-like atmosphere of the village.

Afterwards, Michiko made her way to the Uchiha district, where numerous laters were hung outside and people were dancing in the street. The sight warmed the Uzumaki's heart and she felt herself relaxing.

Making her way towards the main house she greeted those who recognised and saluted her before opening the door and leaving her shoes by the door. Even a non-sensor wouldn't have had trouble finding the surprisingly rowdy group—Kushina and Anko were involved, not to mention the children.

Kimimaro was the first to notice and go up to her, leaving the corner in which he and the other boys were avidly talking in exchange for a hug and several wet kisses that made him only slightly embarrassed.

"Finally escaped the old bags?" Kushina asked loudly, received a slap upside the head from Ayaka that only resulted in the young woman pouting. Unable to hold in her laughter, Michiko went to congratulate Itachi and ruffle Sasuke and Naruto's hair before making a beeline for the food put on display.

"Anything worth noting?" Toshio asked as he poured some sake in her cup for her before she returned the gesture.

"The usual, though we should expect a visit from the fire daimyō. Apparently," she said the last bit bitterly.

"Did something happen?" Mikoto asked, looking a tad worried till Michiko waved off her concern.

"No. He is just under the impression I would be interested in his son," she complained, ignoring the way Anko was laughing or the aghast expression Toshio was giving her.

"Well, you father will find that delightful," Ayaka joked, eyes filled with mirth at the situation.

"I would rather a war not start due to his overprotectiveness," the woman quickly interjected, and they all pretended to not see how Fugaku nodded approvingly.

It was then that she noticed someone missing.

"Has Kakashi already been by?" Truth was that some of the Uchiha didn't particularly like him due to him possessing the sharingan, and being good at using it. But he was family to the Uzumaki and that automatically meant he spent more time around the Uchiha head family than he might have liked.

It also meant he knew Itachi and was actually on good terms with the younger boy. One would at least expect him to pop by if he wasn't on a mission.

"Who knows where that brat is tebane!" Kushina exclaimed angrily. "He has been burring himself in ANBU work."

"Doesn't have time for us normal people," Anko interjected whilst trying to steal Michiko's mochi. Action which nearly got her hand skewered with a bamboo stick.

"Hmmm, has he now," the youngest redhead hummed in thought, dodging backwards when Anko and Shisui attempted a group tackle.

Really, the two of them meeting might have been the biggest mistake the village ever allowed to happen. They were a menace individually. Together? Words couldn't describe the duo properly.

 **—.—.—.—.—**

The next morning Michiko woke up with an armful of drooling yellow sprawled across her abdomen and she couldn't help the fond eye roll. Gingerly, she combed Naruto's hair with her fingers, moving him slightly so she could cradle him at the side. Burring her nose in his hair Michiko couldn't help but thank all the Kami once again.

Her godson was safe. He had family surrounding him.

And Michiko planned on keeping it that way.

For Sasuke and Itachi as well.

However today she needed to hunt down another brat.

 **—.—.—.—.—**

Tracking one Hatake Kakashi proved easier than one might expect. Especially when said man was inside the village and he had a sensor familiar with his chakra signature doing the tracking.

So even though he was wearing a mask it made little difference to Michiko. Though she really had to wonder what purpose those things served for people whose hair was a good enough giveaway to their identity.

The Uzumaki was patient. She didn't interrupt the ANBU team's training, concealed her chakra and watched for the next hour. If anyone noticed her they didn't say anything before the hour was up.

It was only after they seemingly finished with their drill for the day and she unmasked her chakra that several heads whipped in her direction.

'Three sensors,' the teen noted mentally.

"I'm here for Hatake," she said, using the same voice she used when giving orders or missions. The one which meant business.

Kakashi took a moment, likely processing the situation and wondering what she wanted before turning to his team and dismissing them.

When he landed on her tree branch she made a show of giving him a critical once-over, before saying in a cold voice:

"Come," and taking off. Leaving the male no choice but to follow as they made their way through the Konoha greenery.

They stopped right before the trees gave way to another training ground nearer to a populated area.

Jumping down, Michiko waited for Kakashi to land next to her before quickly swiping the mask off his face. Had he expected it or thought her likely to harm him he could have prevented her from doing it. As it was he simply stood there, eyes squinting angrily at her. His sharingan was exposed and the redhead found herself staring into the eye for a moment too long. Till Kurama's chakra swirled angrily—and rather warily— within her bringing her back to the present.

"You didn't come last night," she told him, hands by her side, leaning mainly on her right leg. She looked very much bored and relaxed. A front they both knew was fake.

The girl was angry.

"Is this why you asked me to come, Michi—,"

"You didn't answer my question. As a matter of fact Kushina-nee told me you haven't been coming by lately," she interrupted him, crossing her arms in the process as she gave on the pretence of calm and outwardly scrolled at the grey haired man.

"I have been busy, I don't have time—"

"Bullshit," she interrupted again. They were dosed in silence for a moment, only glaring at one another.

"Do you intend on interrupting me each time?" he asked, annoyance in his voice as he adjusted his headband.

"Only when you start lying," Michiko replied, watching as Kakashi sighed and tousled his hair.

"What do you want Michiko," he finally asked, shoulders slumping, the anger leaking put of him. It was too tiring being angry with an Uzumaki. It was a thing his sensei used to say.

The thought of Minato of course only made matters worse as Kakashi was hit by another bout of depression. His thought naturally going from his old sensei to his genin team and their fates. All because he wasn't good enough and let them—

"Spot that," Michiko orderer, bringing Kakashi out of his musing and making him realise the girl had moved. No longer was she several steps backwards and her gaze was soft and sad, rather than the scourging glare from before.

His ANBU mask was also discarded on the floor and Kakashi preventing himself from startling when Michiko put both of her hands on his face, bringing it closer to her own, forcing him to bend slightly to be at the same level.

"Stop doing that. That's what I want. Stop blaming yourself. Stop distancing yourself from everyone—you know with Guy around that won't work. And the only reason Kushina-nee wasn't the one making sense into you is because she had been rather busy recently," she told him softly, red eyes willing him to listen.

"I'm not asking you to forget the dead Kakashi," and this time he couldn't help the inhaling loudly. It hurt so much thinking about them. "…but please. _Please_ stop forgetting about the people who are alive. Who are _still here_. Who _care for you_ just as much," and it pained Michiko too. It crushed her heart knowing she was unable to do anything to prevent Kakashi from experiencing this pain. Knowing that things have yet to be resolved.

When she felt him try to pull away she didn't let him. Not before she was certain he actually heard what she was trying to convey. Not till her words wedged themselves in his brain at least a little bit.

"Kakashi, the past can't be changed. But _you_ still have a future. And more importantly yet, you still have a present," and his snort at that made her angry.

"Listen here you idiot," the redhead snarled, letting go of his face in favour of grabbing the front of his uniform. "It sucks, it hurts. _It will always hurt_. But _damn it_ Kakashi. You are hurting us and yourself even more," and if there were tears gathering in the corner of her eyes Michiko refused to acknowledge them.

"I love you, you asshole. Kushina-nee loves you. Naruto loves you. Hell, obāchan loves you and we both know she is a hard to impress woman. Guy loves you, he makes that rather obvious. We are still here. Alive. Right next to you. Stop trying to move away or I'll get Anko to tie you up," and wasn't that the nicest way to threaten someone you were trying to help. It must have been at least the slightest bit humorous because Kakashi laughed and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Arms coming to wrap around her for a moment.

"I need to go write up a report," he said and Michiko nearly lashed out at him. "I'll…I'll come by for dinner," he said, head turned to the side, not meeting her gaze.

For now, that will have to do.

"Next time I'll send Guy to talk to you," she warned, smiling at the look he shoot her before 'popping' out of existence. Leaving only a cloud of dust and leaves in his wake.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait and rather crappy chapter. Uni is saying it's piece and I have a project due a week earlier than what I thought originally so I may or may not be somewhat stressed. Also I had been feeling a tad unmotivated about writing this chapter (and the halloween omake ) and some of you might have noticed I published 3 new stories. I did that because I was enjoying writing for those more than I did UR and it helped me relax so apologies if you found that frustrating.**

 **I also caught up with the Noragami manga and have been working on a OC for that as well...*hides behind a wall***

 **On a side note...this story reached 1k follows! Oh my God you guys ;A; thank you so much for all the support, feedback and lovely words. You lot really make my day and I love you all so much! Hopefully this chapter wasn't too much of a disappointment, nothing really happened and I need to write the next to arcs. (After the 12th of December)**

 **I'll give a hint about what the next arc is about ;) It involves a novel exclusive clan :D**

 **Thank you all once again for reading and I wish you the best!**

 **(P.S: more Michiko art! Two adorable chibies from Tsukiko26 on DeviantArt if you are curious)**


	37. And things beging to take shape

**A/N: Hello darlings. Let's get this out of the way first. I'm sorry for the appallingly long time it took to get this out. Honestly just fell into a no writing period.**

 **Beta: It is thanks to the most wonderful illuminated that this chapter reads so much better than any previous one. Thank you dear.**

 **Warning!**

 **Don't skip the following information! (please)**

 **Changes that have been made to the story!**

 **1\. Originally Tsubaki was the cute golden fluff ball fox summon. Now I am an idiot and due to things (a certain commission + the mess that is my mind) The old Tsubaki is now Mitsuki and the old Mitsuki is now Tsubaki. [I think I have actually been subtly writing their characters in reverse in the recent chapters so I went back and began editing all previous chapters to make this a constant thing]**

 **Mitsuki=golden fox Michiko had since he was a cub**

 **Tsubaki=the grumpy russet one that is Mitsuki's senpai**

 **2\. Change to hiraishin explanation: originally I stated that the amount of chakra used by the hiraishin has more to do with the amount of mass teleported, rather than the distance. But I feel that distance should have more of a factor otherwise the hiraishin becomes too convenient a jutsu.**

 **So the change I made in regards to this technique has to do with distance. As in,**

 **Michiko can teleport anywhere as long as she can sense the anchor (kunai/hiraishin seal).**

 **So despite marking demon country, she couldn't just hiraishin there because her chakra sensing doesn't reach that far. And, the fainter the feel of the seal, the more chakra she would have to use to 'latch' onto the seal and 'pull' herself to that location in addition to the mass thing.**

 **3\. The introduction of the Eight Noble Clans concept for Uzu no Kuni. This had a major impact on the Asahama arc. (This applies for the older readers mainly —pre 02/01/17 update of chapter 24)**

 **Chapter 24 has been nearly entirely re-written!**

 **You could go google the naruto oc wikia where I have written a page titled Uzu's Eight Noble Clans for more info.**

 **This impacted on how Michiko was entrusted with Uzushiogakure.**

 **But the gist is: 'Eight clans' refers to the oldest clans of Uzu, each one entrusted with the care of one of Uzu's eight prefectures. In the past, the Uzumaki clan used to belong to this group. However, after its disbandment, it was eventually replaced by the Inaba clan.**

 **In addition, before Michiko could regain the land for Uzushio, the noble clan heads had to have their say (which occurred at the annual party hosted by the daimyō).**

 **This helps me make more sense of the politics of the country and future little bits. This also explained how Uzushio had the money and resources to get a leg up, rather than the daimyō being overly generous. Each clan chipped in one way or another.**

 **The clans and characters to note are:**

\- Asakura Clan (The daimyo's family. The daimyō and head is: Temmu and his grandson Karu makes an appearance in chapter 24)

\- Taira Clan (The head is: Masamori)

\- Hashiba clan (The head is: Hideyoshi)

\- Inaba Clan (The head is: Kōnin, isn't too happy about the Uzumaki)

\- Kikkawa Clan (The head is: Motoaga)

\- Ōkochi Clan (The head is: Yoshimitsu)

\- Chiba (The head is: Tsunetane)

\- Hata (The head is: Yuzuki)

\- Uzumaki Clan (previously, but no longer officially part of the eight; The head is: Michiko)

 **(Best to give the chapter [24] a read for interactions between one another *hides* and more in depth/detailed explanations about events, clans and politics)**

* * *

"No. Have the report sent to the missions desk when you are done, unless something goes askew." The desk was a new addition that Michiko loved, but not everyone was fully aware of it yet. "Then you come report to me directly. Although I see no reason why it should, I'm not clairvoyant or omniscient, so be on your guard," the red-head told the two shinobi before her. She watched them with smiling eyes as they shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting down and back to her face rapidly in an effort to not stare. It was cute, especially when you could see they were curious.

Another groan came from beneath her and Michiko increased the pressure on the arm she was currently bending backward at a painful angle. "Right, do you have any other questions?" she asked patiently, seeing as they weren't moving. It was a fact which the two in question seemed to realise, as they quickly apologised before taking off.

With the two gone, Michiko was able to redirect her attention to the bruised preteen underneath her. "Is something the matter Saru-kun?" she asked the boy sweetly, watching as his face further contorted before he gave a meek head shake. "Excellent! You know endurance is very important for a shinobi. Ah… it warms my heart to see the younger generation taking their duties so seriously. You know, when I was younger, my father used to do this to me nearly daily. Took me years to get used to it, so good for you, Saru! You are doing great," she praised, talking a mile a minute and waving happily with her free arm at the boy's sensei and teammates.

If one was wondering, the boy currently suffering was indeed the very same one who competed in the chūnin exam nearly a month ago. He was the very same one who didn't get promoted because he had an attitude problem that needed fixing.

Michiko did promise she would see that it was _fixed_. Hence, she butted in the team's training and proceeded to thoroughly kick the kid's ass before _helping_ him build up his flexibility and endurance.

" _P-pleas-ssse_ ," he whined pitifully.

"Hm? Did you say something dear?"

"Pllleaase…"

"Please what?" she inquired, shifting just a fraction so he could get more air in his lungs.

"I get it—get it," he said desperately. "I won't do it again. I pr— _promise_ not to do it again," he said, and Michiko finally got off him.

She sighed sadly at the sorry state the boy was in. Man, tough love was a bitch. "Saru-kun," she addressed the boy, bending down and waiting for him to raise his gaze to hers. "I didn't do this because I have something against you, but I need you to understand that out there it will be worse than in the chūnin exam. There won't be so many friendly faces around that would be willing to step in if things got _really_ ugly. What you did was not only unacceptable because of the context in which it occurred, but because you had inadvertently made enemies that might just come bite you in the ass later. _Do you understand?_ " she asked, waiting for his confirmatory nod before picking him up and slinging him over her shoulder.

Walking up to the boy's teacher, she apologised for the intrusion and reminded the other two that what she told Saru applied for them too, before depositing Saru in the man's arms. "As shinobi we will already have enough enemies even without doing anything. There is no need to purposefully make even more than you already will, throughout your careers." And then she was gone, hiraishining back into her office where a mountain and a half of paperwork awaited and she dearly wished to be familiar with the shadow clone technique. That would be so damn useful.

—.—.—.—.—

Sitting right smack in the archive room, with several feet of concrete and earth separating her from the outside, Michiko was resting upside down on the ceiling of the room. From her position, she could see Honoka busily rearranging the East corner, a task which she had been doing for the better part of a week by herself with surprisingly little complaint. It was both a pleasant surprise and a slightly annoying one, as it deprived Michiko of the opportunity to tease her apprentice. Nevertheless, it couldn't be helped as Michiko simply hadn't the time to do it herself, and there were only a handful of people that she completely trusted to be in this room. It was too bad for Honoka that she happened to be one of them, Michiko wryly smiled.

Meanwhile, the redhead was currently using the place for the tight-knit security and secrecy it provided. Another plus was that its location ensured that if her plotting backfired, the village itself would suffer little to no damage. ' _Unless the ceiling caved in, and then that might cause some damage, but that was something to consider another time,'_ Michiko briefly second-guessed herself.

Right now, Michiko was busily reconstructing the key to her seal. It was one which she knew Minato had left behind but would require Jiraiya's assistance in retrieving. That was a favor which the girl did not wish to call in, as it would lead to far too many questions she couldn't/wouldn't answer and that might make things awkward between Naruto's godparents. It was also not a small matter in that it might make Konoha more wary of her- it would be a shame if their paranoia ruined the relationship between their villages. Well, paranoia was the number one factor that lead to said breakups, but she dismissed that thought.

Michiko had made a promise to her furry resident and she had every intention of keeping it. Plus, it was rather annoying that they couldn't communicate properly.

'Just a bit more and it will be done.'

—.—.—.—.—

"Aren't you supposed to leave soon?" Toshio inquired from the other end of the office where he was organising the scrolls on the shelves.

"In two hours. Now stop being such a nag. It's not like I'll be late," Michiko complained from her desk, where she was going over the joint agreement submitted by the Uesugi and Tsugaru clans to re-join Uzushiogakure.

It was to re-join, because the two families, although from a different prefecture than Uzushio, had produced several shinobi in the past which were trained in Uzushio and fought for the village. Of course, since the main families refused to move their compounds, based on some clan-related motives that probably had to do with their civilian businesses, all of those interested in becoming shinobi had to individually relocate to the village.

It was, Michiko learned, not an unusual arrangement at all. The Uzumaki clan had been for decades the main shinobi clan of the island; however, that did not mean other families did not produce shinobi of their own. They simply came in smaller numbers while their families maintained their primary focus on silk making, weapon making, farming, tea cultivating, etcetera. Before Uzushio's destruction, it was not odd for the clans to allow members interested in pursuing the shinobi career to settle in Uzushiogakure— especially when it gave them a foothold in the village for trade purposes.

Alas, in the present, arrangements had to be made to ensure their young would be safe and that the clan as a whole could still have a say in their growth and not be cut off due to the distance issue. However, the clan heads were either testing her or thought her incompetent, because their demands so far were steadily becoming more obnoxious, the more she read of them.

"Who the hell wants a statue of a rabbit in the middle of the city?"

"I'm surprised, I would have thought that would be something you would like," Toshio commented offhandedly, avoiding the cup she threw his way.

"Not if I am told to do it!" she squawked.

"Hmmm…whatever you say; you have an hour and a half left."

" _I know._ "

"Just reminding you. Hiruko-san _is_ the leader of Yugakure. You being late wou—"

"I swear to god, Toshio if you say one more thing," Michiko warned.

"…make a bad impression and that…"

"Aaaah," she shouted in frustration, getting up and leaving the half-completed revision of the contract from the Uesugi and Tsugaru clans on her desk. She marched past her dark-skinned cousin without further word and slammed the door in his face when he reminded her to change.

—.—.—.—.—

Mamoru Hiruko was a tall, well-built man with brown hair that was greying at the ends, a well-trimmed beard and a passive stare. It actually made it that much harder to read the man whilst they enjoyed the tea and sweets their attendant brought over.

As far as formal meetings went, this was the most informal one that Michiko had taken part in,

which was saying something. She recalled how last year Fugaku-oji invited her to come drink along with Hiashi-san, and while she wasn't _technically_ allowed to drink alcohol…they weren't going to ban her from doing so. If anything, she was at least more responsible than the two Konoha clan heads, who ended up resembling hissing cats by the end of the evening.

"Your village's success at the chūnin exam will undoubtedly result in a boom with regards to missions," Hiruko commented. For the past hour, after exhausting all the traditional formalities, they had ended up mainly speaking about the chūnin exams without even touching upon the real reason for this meeting.

"Hmm, it would be a pleasing outcome," she agreed, not revealing anything, really fighting the need to just demand that the man got to the point. It was a lovely day, and the harbour port they were in was lovely and surrounded by mountains, typical of the Kikkawa clan's land. ( _Uzu no kuni is divided into eight prefectures. Each controlled by one of the noble clans. Head over to the Naruto Oc wikia and type in Uzu's eight noble clans to see a map of the distribution_ )

"Indeed. Especially as Uzushio is still expanding. Though I fear this could result in your forces being stretched out too thinly in order to respond to the demand," he added, and the Uzumaki's ear perked. 'Hooho?' she thought, not ignorant of the turn this conversation had taken.

However, couldn't they have had this conversation somewhere else? Her office, his office, she didn't care, but renting out the small teahouse for the day so she could set up security seals was both time-consuming and saddening for her wallet.

"Ara, ara. Certainly something to consider should that ever become a problem," she told the man, with an edge to her voice that had his escorts stiffening but merely caused a small smirk to curl at the corner of his mouth.

"Indeed it would be…say Michiko-san, I hope this will not come off as offensive, but your accent; you aren't native to this land are you?" he asked, throwing Michiko off for a split second as she gave him a bemused look.

"No, I was not born here. I was actually born and raised in Yu no kuni," she admitted, watching as he sighed and purposefully slumped in his chair.

"Such a pity to think you could have been one of our shinobi," he declared, and Michiko didn't allow her face to betray her scepticism. Her parents had not been fans of the other hidden villages. "Alas, everything happens as it ought to do, and I do believe you would have been wasted in any other hidden village."

' _So, he has started on the flattery,'_ she observed. "Hiruko-san, if I may, without sounding completely rude- what is this all about, and do please stop with the roundabout answers." There, she did it. She gave in to her ruder urges because if he planned on spending the next hour buttering her up for whatever it was he wanted, she might just attempt to kill him.

"Ah, I suppose you are the direct type." Why did his comment make her feel as if she just played right into his palm, she wondered.

"We have been allies for a short while, though some might call it a lifetime depending on how far back into shinobi history you look. I believe it's important to help one's allies when they need it, if such a relationship is to be maintained," he began explaining, garnering an appreciative hum from Michiko.

"And what would this help be?" 'Surely the village hadn't pissed off someone enough for an all-out battle? Hell, as far as the information network was concerned, Yugakure had been determinedly quiet the past months,' her mind raced.

"Mah, nothing to worry about. Certainly not now, though it is good to know Uzushio has our back," he said, taking another sip of his tea. He was the image of calm. They stayed in the teahouse for another hour before the man and his entourage departed. The only evidence of their meeting was the empty cups and lone scroll left on his chair. Why did every meeting with Hiruko feel like she just dined with Dumbledore?

—.—.—.—.—

Danzō was not happy. Not that he usually was, but today was a particularly bad day— mostly for his ANBU who, for all their _training,_ still feared his wrath.

He had warned Hiruzen and the others, told them from the beginning that it was not something they could bet on, that they should have put a stop to it from the beginning. However, they allowed their sentimentalities to get the better of them and Konoha's safety was at risk.

The Uzumaki brat had already got in his way, unintentionally or not, when it came to the Uchiha, starting from the night of the Kyubi's rampage. The girl had forged and now maintained close connections with that clan, and was steadily building the same ties with the Hyūga clan. It would inadvertently bring the two clans closer to one another. Her close relationship with Konoha's jinchūriki also put him on edge, and he didn't understand what more the others needed before they began taking this matter seriously.

To make matters worse, she had access to the village whenever she wanted because of those damn seals, seals developed from _their Nidaime's_ work. They ought to have had Kushina punished for giving away such a secret to an outsider, but that couldn't be done either— not with Hiruzen keeping such a close eye on her and her son.

Uzushio, as a whole, posed no threat to Konoha so far; however, continual growth needed to be interrupted. His information network had also informed him of Uzu once again making moves outside of their island, reaching out to nobles from lands who had severed their ties with them after the Uzumaki massacre. In addition, the last chūnin exam proved how lax Konoha had been regarding the whirlpool village. The very idea that such a minor village performed so well set off warning bells in his mind. It meant they had to keep a closer eye and put an end to it when the chance presented itself, so it couldn't grow further.

Nearly immediately after the exams passed, his spies informed that two of their most prominent clients had sent mission request to _Uzushio_ rather than Konoha. And, as if to rub salt in the wound further, their daimyō announced his intent to visit Uzu no Kuni and while he would be escorted by their hand picked ANBU, he would return escorted by _Uzushio's_ shinobi— to encourage the good relationship between their countries and hidden villages.

Something needed to be done and it needed to be done, and _soon_. That village was making more progress than expected.

'If the past must be repeated than so be it.'

—.—.—.—.—

Seiichi loved Kimimaro. No, Michiko was not being dramatic. Seiichi absolutely adored Kimimaro- or his hair- but that was the same thing as far as the toddler was concerned. It couldn't be helped, considering the boy's white locks stood out like a sore thumb amongst the red their family typically sprouted. While it tended to break her heart a little whenever her brother would run —trot— away from her once Kimimaro entered the room, it also made her unbelievably happy to see how well they got along.

They were her little boys, so of course she wanted them to be friends. It also helped that for all Kimimaro was technically Seiichi's nephew, he acted more as an over-protective older brother who found the beginning of someone's life fascinating and awe-inspiring.

Seiichi was crying? Not to worry, Kimimaro would magically teleport to his side. Seiichi wanted to play? Who cared about training? There was time for that later. Seiichi was hungry? "No, don't worry bā-san, I'll feed him."

Really, it made Michiko glad to know her sibling was so well liked, even if she didn't have nearly as much time for him as she wanted. But right now, at this very moment, _Seiichi was hers_.

The parents were out, Kimimaro was at the academy, and aunts were busy, so the nearly two-year-old was hanging out with Michiko in her office.

The toddler was happily babbling while badly throwing the ball to his sister, who would catch it before gently throwing it back and grinning as he laughed each time that he caught it. He was so pleased by his accomplishment.

Leaning forward, she picked up the toddler and brought him close to her face, giving him an eskimo kiss which was received with a bout of giggles.

"Mimi," he gurgled happily, small hands grasping strands of her hair and pulling. "Story," he demanded, pulling on her hair harder for emphasis.

"Bossy much?" she asked, gently removing her hair from his pudgy hands and placing him in her lap before contemplating what story to tell him. ' _Have I told him red-riding hood yet?_ "

—.—.—.—.—

There was something unappreciated about early mornings— particularly in her household, where with the exception of Kimimaro, only Michiko seemed to truly love them. Even with Kimimaro, she was willing to bet that it had more to do with the fact that _she_ woke up at that ungodly hour, rather than his personal preference. However, regardless of reason, it was nice to have someone join her morning training before it was time to officially start the day.

Five in the morning typically found the two dressed and out the door for their morning run, which looked more like Guy's endurance village laps than a casual jog. This preceded a spar between the two where Michiko would help Kimimaro better his clan stances, since his own clan clearly wouldn't train him, till eventually it was time for the boy to return home and get ready for the academy.

Michiko, on the other hand, would remain in training ground five for another hour or so, practising with her guan dao and added weights in an effort to increase her reaction speed.

Because for all that the hiraishin offered her an advantage if the field was littered with her seals, unlike Minato who was also fast on his own merit, Michiko was not. Unlike him, she was a heavy hitter and had been trained as one from a young age— with an emphasis on the heavy hitter part and a pass on the speed.

She was the type that fought primarily using taijutsu in combination with bukijutsu, and used ninjutsu more as an additional edge to her fighting style. Which, if you asked someone like Kakashi, was a damn shame considering her chakra reserves.

When the morning workout was done, the redhead would flash back home, take a shower, change, steal some food from the table, and flash over to her office. No matter how fast she was, Toshio would still get there before her and have a list of activities prepared for her to go through— and tea, lots and lots of tea.

—.—.—.—.—

Her mindscape always surprised the girl with how dark it was. "Really, can't you make this place a tad brighter?" she questioned Kurama, who was currently engaged in a personal game of Ignore the Human. "Seriously? Are we really going to do this?" she complained.

" **…** "

"Ugh. You listen here, furry ass. Here I come, wanting to remove your seal, and you give me this treatment?" _'Oh, didn't that catch his attention.'_

" **What?** " he demanded, red eyes narrowed upon the girl before him.

"What? Did your old age finally catch up to you?" she teased. Teased, not taunted, of course. He had known her for nearly six years— nothing compared to his lifespan, but enough for a human. It was enough time for him to get a very good sense of the kind of person they are.

Kurama could now make that distinction and no longer found himself getting angry like he used to in the beginning. " **Has your own human idiocy finally got the better of you?** " he asked instead, raising from the ground and towering over her.

"And here I thought you would be happier," she pouted, coming closer to his cage. She stopped only when his paw passed through the bar and slammed right next to her. Any closer, and it would have crushed her.

" **Do you forget who I am human? Have the years that I tolerated you made you complacent? Do not forget that I do not care about your insignificant life and will tear you to pieces to escape,** " he growled, increasing his volume when the girl's expression softened and she passed through the bars.

"Pity I have so little self-preservation; but you won't kill me either." Her voice was so sure; the redhead was certain in her words and that frustrated the fox further.

" **You audacious chit,** " he growled, bringing his face closer to hers.

"You old fox," she returned pleasantly, a hand going out to caress his nuzzle and Kurama hated himself for letting her. "I know you won't hurt me. See? I'm inside the seal, I've done it a hundred times over the years and you never used this as a chance to escape. And I know that you know that me being inside would have made it easier to break the seal. But you never did and when it will all be over, when the whole Kaguya bullshit passes, I will make sure you can go back outside to do whatever. Well, if you want," she promised, jokingly winking at the end as she touched her forehead to his nuzzle.

" **If I want?** " he asked.

"Hey, you might finally fall for me and never want to leave!" she joked, laughing at the aghast expression he was able to make in response to her words.

" **Stupid human,** " but his tone held no bite and he once again closed his eyes, crossing his paws in front of himself, ignoring the way Michiko needed to duck as he returned to 'sleeping'. " **Do as you'd like** ," he told her.

Kurama pretended he couldn't feel her trailing fingers through his fur. It wasn't all that hard. Her hand was tiny. ' **Humans are fragile things.** '

"I still haven't gotten you to admit we're friends, you know?" she commented absentmindedly, causing him to huff.

" **We are not friends, brat,** " was his swift reply and she pouted.

"Well, I see you as one…and hopefully you will end up seeing me as one too," she said determinately, finally sliding off his paw and making her way past the golden gates keeping him caged.

 _'A strange human. Michiko is a strange human,'_ and this wasn't the first time Kurama thought it.

"Hopefully this will make communication easier," she told him, scaling up the gates with her chakra till she reached the 'seal' on top of the lock.

But he somehow had gotten used to her.

Ripping off the paper, Michiko placed her hand on the exposed seal, and with a final look towards Kurama, pushed chakra through it in the correct pattern.

He wondered what would the old man say if he could see him now.

—.—.—.—.—

There really was no good explanation for the explosions which had collapsed the formerly unknown Kaguya tunnels. However they occurred, and as such the Mizukage had to have an investigation carried out.

The reasonable explanation was that not all of the Kaguya bloodline had been killed, and had used the tunnel system to make an emergency escape, which they then collapsed in order to hide clan secrets or make it harder to track them down. At least, that was what the official report stated. It was an inconclusive deduction, as D-ranks were still handed out in order to excavate the precarious tunnels. They even had a death. Such was the decrease in the quality of ninja, which only served to irk the Mizukage further.

He didn't like to leave things unfinished. He didn't like the thought of Kaguya members still breathing after they raised a finger against Kirigakure. It was something to be remedied, especially if they carried information about their village that he didn't want in the hands of outsiders. Of course, his interest in this case may or may not have to do with outside influence, but that was not really the important bit.

What was important right now was the object his ninja brought from the last excavation: a lone kunai. It was nothing extraordinary on its own but for its distinguishing features: three prongs and a sealing array on the handle. It was custom made, not from Kirigakure, but not unfamiliar. The Yellow Flash had made sure of that.

Only this blade surely couldn't belong to Konoha's deceased Hokage.

—.—.—.—.—

Yagura might not have been certain of the origins of the kunai, but Zetsu could make some educated guesses. Or rather, he had a better idea of where to dig for information, because it was not a kunai that belonged to the Yondaime Hokage. He could tell as much, Obito could tell as much— but the chakra clinging to the weapon was familiar even if this particular Zetsu never met its owner.

The night they had unleashed the Kyūbi upon Konoha, one of his clones remained behind after Obito retreated. He knew what the Yondaime did, _knew who he did it to,_ but Obito and Black Zetsu had said to leave her alone, that there was no rush. They had time and needed to collect the other bijū first, anyway.

There was time. There were other things to do, people to gather. However, it seemed the little Uzumaki was poking her nose were it didn't belong, and that wouldn't be a good thing. Especially since he confirmed the archives had been cleaned out. 'Naughty children ought to be punished.' White Zetsu thought, as he relayed the image of the kunai and the signature of the chakra through his roots, letting his brothers know of this information as well.

After all, her bloodline really wasn't needed anymore. _He_ had everything he needed, and useless things got thrown out.

—.—.—.—.—

You know, it was one thing for a mission to go wrong. Two, three, hell, depending on the volume of missions received, one could expect there to be a couple of screw-ups. Of course there were, some minor and easily ignorable, some blatant and impossible to look over.

However for the past month or so, the frequency of things going wrong had steadily increased and that was something Michiko didn't like. The phenomena was mostly concentrated among the higher ranked missions, which made sense. They were more dangerous and that left more room for things to go bad. However, when her shinobi started getting killed, and those that survived all reported the same thing, the girl couldn't help the conclusion she reached.

Someone was purposely targeting her shinobi, and she wanted to find out who.

"Toshio," she called the grim-looking male to her left, "Send for Kahyō and Rabbit," she ordered. She watched as the male exited the office, the seals re-activating as he closed the door. Sighing, Michiko leaned into her chair and closed her eyes for a moment. _'Blood will be spilt.'_

' **You're more bearable this way,** ' her companion's voice rang in her mind, and she got an image of a lounging fox, its nine tails lazily swaying as it pinned her in place with its red gaze.

 _'Oh, I'm counting on you to help, you know.'_

—.—.—.—.—

September was drawing to an end and that meant Seiichi was due to turn two and that family was coming over. By family, she meant her grandmother with Kushina and Naruto. It was only possible because Kushina could bully her way through nearly anything, and the Hokage had ANBU to spare for the journey. It must be nice to no longer be stretched thin manpower-wise.

Currently, it was the evening of the twenty-fifth and Michiko was in the back garden accompanied by her toddler brother and adopted son. All three of them engaged in what appeared to be dancing— at least Michiko and Kimimaro were dancing. Seiichi just saw them and wanted to join in, which was sweet and frankly utterly adorable, despite the fact that his flailing limbs and lack of coordination meant he wasn't so much dancing as doing an impression of a drunken duck: a cute one, but a duck nonetheless.

At least he was starting his training early, any ninja observer would have likely remarked. After all, never let anyone say that dancing wasn't good for a future as a shinobi. Balance and flexibility were two very important factors in their lifestyle. If anyone was going to give her brother grief about it, she would simply point them in Kimimaro's direction.

—.—.—.—.—

Michiko presented a semi-pleasant expression for the ragged people before her, trying to not look pitying or angry on their behalf. There were three people, only three people, two of which were children, and they looked to have survived hell. If what the eldest male said was true, hell was a pretty close analogy.

They claimed to be the remnants of the Chinoike clan. A clan which was exiled years ago from Kaminari no Kuni with the aid of none other than the Uchiha clan. Part of the girl felt —stupidly— as though she should have somehow prevented this injustice, despite it occurring before her birth. The remainder, a much more reasonable side of her possessing the majority vote, simply focused on the now and what she had to do.

A flicker of her chakra later had Heiwa in her office. Her gold braid swayed lightly as she made her way to Michiko, sparing only a moment to acknowledge the other occupants of the room.

"Please escort the Chinoike to one of our waiting rooms," the redhead ordered, giving the woman a meaningful look before returning her attention to the brown-haired man. "Joichiro-san, if you and the children would please follow Heiwa. She will escort you to a room where you may rest till more adequate lodgings are prepared." Michiko said, pretending to miss the mistrustful looks she was receiving from the children.

"Of course," he replied, and for all that he looked the part of a ragged wanderer, the man had never once stopped speaking in keigo. One had to give him points for politeness at least. _'And protectiveness,'_ she thought, gaze softening just a tad at how the children clung to him, and how even now he constantly angled himself to be in the line of fire should a fight break out.

"Akio, Sari," he prompted the children lightly, before turning to fully face Michiko and bowing low from the waist, the youngsters following after a moment of hesitation. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Uzumaki-sama, and promise to repay your kindness." Joichiro stated in a solemn tone, with the children's more stiff thank yous coming afterwards.

"Joichiro-san, please stand and focus on your health and that of the children. We can talk more once you are settled in," Michiko waved them off and waited till they finally left her office and the door was shut before slumping in her chair. _'Another clan brought to the brink of extinction by the fear and jealousy caused from possessing a kekkei genkai.'_

"What did the cat drag in this time?" Toshio asked as he entered her office. His back was straight and his copper hair swept to the side in a new hairstyle that he was trying.

"I'd appreciate you not speaking like that." Michiko grouched, annoyed at her cousin who merely shrugged his shoulders. It was the truth. Sighing in exasperation, the girl waved him over. "They claim to be all that's left of the Chinoike clan," she explained, while picking up a pen and writing down a quick note in a small scroll.

"The Chinoike clan? Never heard of them."

"Neither have I. They were exiled years ago from Kaminari no kuni and lived in the Valley of Hell since then."

"And where is this valley of hell?" Toshio inquired, as he made his way around her desk and leaned on it, arms crossed whilst looking out the windows towards the village below. Who would have ever thought Uzushio would call themselves a village ever again?

"Here," Michiko said, whilst handing him the scroll after stamping it. "Take this to the west archives."

"You want me to look into these Chinoike?" After she assented, he asked, "Why are you so interested in them?"

"The clan that helped push them into exile was the Uchiha one."

"And you want to make sure that will not become a problem." Toshio concluded, a glint appearing in his dark eyes. "Understood." He put the scroll in his pant's pocket as he rose and went to exit the office.

Michiko said nothing further and simply watched, as the light from the setting sun hit his back, illuminating the Uzumaki symbol done in red sticking on the back of his shirt.

* * *

 **A/N: If you thought the above author note was not enought here is another one! Wanted to once again apologise for the wait and thank everyone who patiently waited, everyone that reviewed and keept me going, and every new reader. _Thank you_.**


	38. Party in Asahama

**A/N: So I changed the cover, again, but I thought this one will match the chapter quite well**

 **BETA: The one whom I can't thank enough, Illuminated**

* * *

October held four significant annual events for Michiko, five if one bothered to remember Asuma's birthday. However, with the man gone from Konoha to serve the Fire daimyō, that didn't seem to be a problem. This was the month of Shisui and Naruto's births, Minato's death and the yearly party hosted by the Uzu daimyō. The last one listed was scheduled first and required the redhead's presence each time. It wasn't something one simply cancelled, especially as it was the only guaranteed time when all the noble clan heads gathered together to discuss the goings-on of the village over the past year.

The current Uzumaki—Inaba situation was one without precedent, and caused underlying tension during each meeting as the current Inaba head, Kōnin, made his dislike no secret.

Originally, the Uzu noble clans totalled eight, with the Uzumaki being one of them until their destruction. However, someone needed to fill in for her clan afterwards, as each of the noble families were responsible for administering one of the country's prefectures—thus the Inaba clan had come into the picture.

All would have been fine and dandy, if not for Michiko having the clan officially reinstated. People with a more traditional outlook believed the Uzumaki should resume control of the prefecture. They were one of the original eight, a pillar of the country in the past, and it was insulting to the long-dead to not have that honoured. However, the Uzumaki had been destroyed and no longer as formidable as they once were. In addition, the Inaba were not cruel or unfair people, and had managed the land better than expected. By all measures, it was the Uzumaki which was the real noble clan, not the Inaba, whose fortune and history spanned only a few generations. However, everyone understood deep down that stating you are from a royal clan didn't make you different from the person next to you. Everyone still bled the same blood. It was simply a matter of history.

Frankly, Michiko was happy to allow the Inaba to carry on with their prefectural duties. She sure as hell didn't have time to do it on top of everything else, but that didn't mean Kōnin was any happier about the red-headed clan 'returning.' He had made a point of snubbing her and rubbing it in her face, in that polite backhanded way that politicians and people in power preferred using. He made it clear that he felt that her presence at those meetings was merely a formality, one that occurred simply because the daimyō had a soft spot for the Uzumaki.

Alas, that was how things had been going, and until the old man's son took over clan headship, Michiko had to deal with it. She owed a lot to all of the heads for their continuous help and wasn't about to throw in the towel just yet.

Arriving early in the morning with her entourage for this year's meeting, Michiko was greeted at the palace gates by the guards and the aide assigned for her stay in Asahama, Kana. Smiling beautifully at the brunette and greeting everyone else, the redhead allowed herself to be guided through the compound, despite knowing it by heart at this point.

She allowed herself to be led to her quarters, where she then proceeded to prepare for the meeting later that day. Going into the bath first with Midori, the two kunoichi spent ample time washing their hair and scrubbing travel grime from their skin, before applying various creams once they were out.

Kana was waiting inside and helped Michiko get into her kimono while Midori put on a clean uniform.

Once upon a time, Michiko would have found this annoying. The idea of being dolled-up so she could be paraded around was irritating, and the time spent doing so wasteful. Now, on the other hand, the girl found herself enjoying going to various venues requiring proper dress. She enjoyed spending time just on herself and getting dressed-up; she conceded to herself that it was a rather vain thing, but it was the truth either way. Even prancing about and making small talk with people she otherwise couldn't care less about became more of a game to her, now that she understood the rules. And oh, _she was good— s_ weet-talking and charming people like it was nobody's business came naturally to the redhead. She now understood the system governing their world and found it particularly entertaining to manoeuvre around it, while making allies, learning secrets and establishing connections in all sorts of places.

For this particular event, Michiko was dressed in a black and red kimono that had gold accents amongst the flowers embroidered on her shoulders and hemline. It was secured in place by a gold obi that Kana expertly tied in a stylised bow, often worn with a furisode, before turning her attention towards Michiko's hair. She proceeded to gently brush until she brought it to a shine, before allowing it to cascade down her back. The ends rested on the floor as the eighteen-year-old had allowed it to grow past her waist.

Midori was patiently waiting by the door, perfectly composed, while silently admiring the young Uzu leader. In all honesty, the green-haired woman disliked the Uzumaki girl in the beginning, finding her childish, loud and absent-minded. She wasn't overly strong either, and seemed to have allowed village headship to get to her head without understanding a thing about what the people needed.

In reality, Michiko broke every one of her preconceptions, and she turned out to be far smarter than Midori originally gave her credit for.

Her childish persona was exactly what was needed to maintain the people's high spirits as she made her rounds through the village and stopped to speak with various people to inquire about their day. She appealed particularly to the younger generation, which looked up to the red-haired girl and whispered about her in awed tones. Michiko knew exactly what sort of things were needed to not only ensure the successful building of a village, but to forge bonds between the people living in it and create a sense of community. She planned and approved various festivals that allowed people to de-stress and interact with one another, sharing specialities and games from their particular corner of the world. She discussed, signed and negotiated on various contract terms to ensure the best possible outcome for the village, using her young age and looks to get people to lower their guard and to yield on what she wanted. Midori was there to witness many such instances.

Even her absent-minded state subconsciously disarmed the wariness of people, leading them to think that she was too immersed in her own world to pay much attention to what was happening around her. It was one of the biggest misconceptions, Midori recognised; Michiko was sharp and always aware of her surroundings, maybe even hyperaware due to her chakra sensitivity. The green-eyed woman had also learned that it was very possible for the Uzumaki to be conversing with her bijū. It was a truth she only learned by accident, and another piece in the puzzle that was Uzumaki Michiko.

One thing was clear to the green kunoichi: Uzumaki Michiko was a shrewd individual who hid her strength behind sweet smiles and sparkling eyes, and Midori was grateful to have gotten the chance to know her. However, it meant relentless teasing from her grandfather who seemed to understand those things from the very beginning.

Once the youngest female in the room was ready to depart, Kana went and opened the room, waiting patiently for Michiko and Midori to step out first before following suit and closing the door behind her. She stifled a gasp when she nearly bumped into Rahyō, who had waited outside the door the entire time. Feeling a blush spread over her face, the brown-haired woman looked down to hide it, missing the way his eyes softened when they settled on her. Poor Kana also missed the knowing looks that Michiko and Midori exchanged with one another as they contemplated how much of a fool their teammate was for keeping quiet. It was not news to them that Kana had caught Rahyō's eye some years ago.

They bid the woman goodbye as Michiko took over and confidently walked towards the palace, greeting people she saw on the way. Most of whom were more than happy to return the greeting.

Once at the entrance, both shinobi accompanying Michiko made themselves scarce to watch from a distance and ensure nothing happened.

"The always-popular Michiko-san," a familiar voice greeted and Michiko turned to give the prince a brilliant smile.

"Karu-san! You look well," she said, approaching the country's prince and grasping both of his hands in a familiar gesture and giving them a squeeze before letting go.

"And you look radiant," he replied with a shy smile, betrayed by the playful glint in his eyes. Who would have believed the shy boy Michiko met years ago would grow up into such a forward man? She couldn't help the way her lips curved into a knowing smirk as they shared knowing looks and went to mingle with the crowd. It wasn't unusual to see the two together during these parties, and they paid little heed to the gossip of the court when it came to their relationship. They knew where they stood with one another and knew better than to attempt a relationship other than one of friendship.

The pair greeted a few people before making their way to the back of the room and leaving through a pair of highly-decorated shoji screens. By all accounts, Karu should have stayed behind to continue greeting the people still trickling through the entrance; however, he _wanted_ to walk her to the meeting which was more a favour for him than her. Michiko had seen the youngest Miyamoto daughter enter and knew exactly why Karu was in such a hurry to leave.

Stepping inside the room, she inclined her head in greeting to the gathered men before bowing more deeply before the daimyō. Afterwards, she took her seat between the Chiba and Hashiba heads. Chiba Tsunetane was a middle-aged man with tanned skin, well-defined muscles, a mop of spiked black hair that rebelled against the ribbon tying at the back, brown eyes, and a pleasing personality who would strong arm you without so much as blinking, if he needed to.

He was possibly one of the friendliest of the bunch and never seemed to have a problem with backing Michiko up, especially if it was against the Inaba head, of whom he was not too fond. He would claim that his friendship stemmed from his guilt for not doing more for the Uzumaki in their time of need despite the friendship between their clans. She believed him, to an extent, but she knew a snake when she saw one—so for all his smiles and cheerfulness, the redhead was also most wary of him.

Hashiba Hideyoshi, on the other hand, was the one who reminded Michiko of the daimyō most. He was old, with greying hair and sharp green eyes. The man most often acted as a mediator when the arguments got heated and had no problem expressing his opinion even if it was contradictory to that of his friends. He was an honest and straightforward man, but not a pushover because when he talked, people _listened_. He was honest, not an imbecile, and knew exactly what he needed to do to achieve his goals. Hideyoshi simply didn't see the point in glossing over things, and Michiko liked him most for this, after the daimyō himself.

Turning slightly, the girl met Kōnin's frown head-on and kept it long enough that the old man eventually gave up after delivering a final glare in her direction. _'Remind me why he is still alive?'_ she thought to herself rather meanly.

' **Do you want to change that?** ' Kurama questioned in a bored fashion.

She could just about imagine the massive fox lounging on his side, face leaning in his paw. _'I don't quite feel like dealing with treason charges.'_

' **What sort of shinobi gets caught by a bunch of civilians?** ' he replied in disgust, giving Michiko a mental face-palm moment.

Tea was served and after enjoying the peace and privacy a while longer, they began the meeting proper.

—.—.—.—.—

There was a particularly nasty argument between the Taira head and Ōkochi clan heads about how to deal with the people of Benishu island. The Benishu folk made claims and sought to take over some of the minor islands which lay between the Taira's and Kochi's two larger ones. The islands currently belonged to Uzu, but the inhabitants of Benishu were becoming more adamant in their demands, so Michiko agreed to have ninja stationed there until the dispute got solved, in case they chose to employ shinobi and take them by force.

Afterwards, they drafted settlements between several minor clans which had various problems with one another, made contingency plans to deal with the effects of this year's dry summer and concluded with approving the trading deal between Uzu and several ports on various islands belonging to the Mizu archipelago. It was something which required ample debating on its own and a higher input from Michiko, as they discussed the implications for the two countries' hidden villages and the possible resulting security risks. Michiko would have liked to declare "Well, the Mizukage is actually being controlled by a dude called Obito, and they have a zombie army ready at all times anyway, so whether or not we initiate trade routes with each other won't really make much of a difference." Instead, she discussed the current situation in Mizu, particularly the clan purges which had become a common practice over the years, and noted that she had offered asylum to several Kiri native clans. But, she reasoned, as this was an agreement between nobles, so long as the Mizu daimyō had nothing against them, Kiri would technically be forced to comply with his wishes. She used 'technically' because they were shinobi, and she was well aware of how often they skirted over laws and agreements in order to one-up each other.

When the discussion was over and they returned to the party, the room was filled with people and the nine clan leaders were easily separated as they went to speak with different people. Michiko fixed her eyes on a particular pair that she spotted as she entered the room, and walked steadily in their direction. "Miroku! I'm glad you and Shion could make it this year as well," the red-haired woman happily greeted, circling her arms around the child that went in for a hug and covering the girl with the long sleeves of her kimono.

"It is good to see you as well, Michiko-chan," Miroku replied pleasantly, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled. She wore a layered kimono in various shades of purple and green, with her hair gathered up in a traditional up-do with a round-plated kinzashi clipped in the front with tassels hanging from its centre. It was a wonder that the priestess wasn't sweating buckets, considering how surprisingly warm it was for this time of the year. Her daughter, on the other hand, was wearing a simpler, dark-pink kimono with a white obi and a purple haori. Her wheat-blonde hair was tied at the base of her neck with a black ribbon and a small bell inserted on the side.

"Was your journey here without fault?" the redhead asked, with her right hand gripped tightly by a smiling Shion despite breaking the hug.

"It was great, we got to sample the local food whenever we stopped in one of the ports and—" Shion whispered-shouted, replying instead of her mother, and going on a tirade while the older females shared smiles and knowing looks.

—.—.—.—.—

Eventually, Michiko needed to part from the two priestesses as Shion was mock-kidnapped by the court children and they went out to play; a guard from each of their parents' entourages followed silently to guard them.

The redhead mingled some more with the partiers, stopping to speak with a group of ladies and greeting Lady Kayo who was never far from them and always aware of the newest court gossip, regardless of whether or not it came from Hachimitsu no Kuni's court.

"Oh, Imseong is also with us," she pointed out happily as Michiko excused herself, with a glint in her eyes that had Michiko wishing she could roll her eyes without being rude. However, as that was not possible, she merely smiled, thanked the ladies for their time, and finally decided to confront the elephants in the room— namely, her grandmother and Hiruzen.

It was their first time coming to this event, as far as she knew, and Michiko was honest enough with herself to admit she was avoiding them. She was avoiding Ayaka, to be more precise. It was a ridiculous thing to do which insinuated a degree of immaturity on her part, which could not be allowed. Thus, after straightening her posture even more, she made her way towards where she felt their chakra. When she neared them, she saw the pair conversing with the Fire and Whirlpool daimyōs.

Michiko knew Ayaka was well aware of her granddaughter's location, but chose to ignore her so as to not appear rude by walking out mid-conversation; thus, the redhead patiently waited for a moment to present itself for her to make her interruption. That moment finally arrived in the form of Temmu noticing her and waving her over. This time, her grandmother no longer had to hide her assessing gaze as her eyes roamed her granddaughter's figure, with an unidentified emotion flashing through her eyes too fast for Michiko to pick up.

"Did you wait long, Michiko?" her daimyō inquired calmly, as he waved off an attendant coming over with a tray of drinks, when nobody showed signs of interest.

"Oh, no, there is no need to worry about me, Temmu-sama," she replied evenly. "I hope you had a pleasant journey, Asaji-sama," she said by way of greeting to the other feudal lord before finally turning towards her intended company: "It is good to see both of you joining us, obā-sama, Hiruzen-san." Michiko pretended she didn't see the way her grandmother stiffened at the honorific, having never been addressed as such by Michiko before.

"You look well, Michiko-san," Hiruzen replied and the two shared knowing looks at the formal way they were addressing one another. However, the conversation soon stopped as Temmu insisted on showing Asaji a new painting he had purchased, while Hiruzen made the excuse that he wanted to speak with some noble from Ocha no Kuni. It really didn't take a genius to realise that the two Uzumaki women needed some time alone, and Michiko, realising this as well, invited her grandmother to tour the gardens with her.

With her grandmother agreeing without complaint, the two made their way through the crowd in silence, with the exception of Michiko sharing a greeting or a promise to speak later with people who approached her. Once they were outside and had walked some way from the party, with Rahyō and Midori following at a respectful distance to allow them some modicum of privacy, Michiko realised how nervous she actually was. It hit her that this was the first time Ayaka had seen her in such a situation, and she wanted to leave a good impression on her grandmother.

"I remember when you were younger, I could barely get you to keep still to dress you, much less have you sit down long enough to braid your hair," the old woman said, eyes gazing at the clear night sky. Michiko wrung her hands and used the sleeves of her kimono to hide the action as she thought how best to reply:

"I was a bit of a handful wasn't I?"

"Pft, a handful you were," Ayaka agreed, humour entering her eyes as she thought back to the past. "You still are, but—you grew up so fast," she whispered hoarsely, turning around to face Michiko before slowly approaching so that she could lay an aged hand on her face. "I'm proud of you child… more than you will ever know. _Never_ forget that."

"Bā-chan…" Michiko had so much she wanted to say, but couldn't find the words, or the ability to voice them as her throat constricted painfully and her chest hurt.

"Oh, and that brother of yours," Ayaka suddenly said more loudly, pulling back and gently dabbing her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "I can only imagine he will grow to be a rascal just like you," and a broken laugh escaped her throat as she recalled the way Seiichi would try to copy his sister whenever they were in the same room. 'How could he not, with such a sister.'

"Ha, bet you we got it from tou-chan's side of the family," Michiko joked back, the two women sharing a conspiring look with one another.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you," her grandmother said mysteriously, a twinkle in her eyes that had Michiko's jaw drop down in shock.

"Bā-chan!" she whisper-shouted, fake scandalised at witnessing this side of her grandmother.

"Does that have to do with you being a troublemaker when you were younger?"

"Troublemaker! Who said something like that?"

"Temmu-sama," Michiko said, suddenly sobering up and giving Ayaka a serious look. Unfortunately, it could only last for so long before they both broke down in a fit of barely-controlled giggles.

"I'll need to have a talk with him," the older Uzumaki said in a poor attempt to control her happiness. "Or maybe I'll speak with Jitō," she mused out loud and Michiko gave her a knowing look.

"Oh, you're _bad,_ bā-chan."

"It would serve him right. Gossiping about me, and to my granddaughter nonetheless!" They were walking side by side around the gardens and as they turned to walk back towards the party, Ayaka stopped and had Michiko face her properly. "Michiko. I _am_ proud of you, of everything you done and achieved… of the woman you grew up to be, even if you did it faster than I would have wanted for you. I am glad I got to live and see it… but now you need to stop worrying about me and go. Continue to dazzle and wrap everyone around your little finger. And you should probably start with that poor boy who followed us here and has been so patiently waiting for you," the old woman pointed out, causing Michiko to turn and finally acknowledge the prince waiting at the end of the clearing.

She hesitated only for a moment in making up her mind, but decided to simply kiss both of her grandmother's cheeks before turning and walking towards her friend. She nodded towards Hiruzen who was conveniently walking out of the party at this exact moment, and watched from the corner of her eye as he approached Ayaka.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your time with…" and here the young male fumbled a bit from his lack of knowledge until Michiko filled in the blank for him.

"My grandmother—and don't worry," she said, interrupting what would surely turned out to be an apology, "You didn't interrupt us." The shy smile that he gave her was the same as always, and she mentally sighed when he offered her his arm to escort her back inside. Imseong was sweet, which was all the more reason to remind him that they were only friends.

—.—.—.—.—

"Smoking on palace grounds is forbidden," Michiko warned, as she took a seat on the red-tiled roof next to a surly Asuma, who barely glanced her way. "Ah, I see, the silent treatment. Though I will admit not knowing what I did to deserve it. I even remembered your birthday was this month. Speaking of, happy birthday," she said, tossing him a small wrapped present which he caught without turning.

"Shouldn't you be down there with the nobles?" He finally questioned, ripping the wrapping from the present to discover a lighter inside.

"Can't say I condone your smoking, but your habit is your habit at the end of the day," she said instead. "Plus, I mingled quite enough last night, I don't really feel like doing it right now."

"What do you want, Uzumaki?" Asuma grumbled out, inhaling deeply before releasing another breath of smoke which caused Michiko to frown in distaste.

"It's Uzumaki now, huh. Well fine, be a prat if you want Sarutobi," she said in annoyance, rising elegantly and smoothing out the kimono she was wearing. "I see that being a member of the illustrious twelve guardians really improved your attitude there—oh, Kurenai misses you by the way," she threw in just as an added bonus, so she could watch him stiffen. _'Idiot.'_

—.—.—.—.—

On the morning of the third day, Michiko was waiting near the palace gates with Rahyō and Midori as they waited for the Inaba clan to gather. Eventually they did, twenty minutes after the agreed upon time, which if the redhead were to guess, had been all Kōnin's doing.

Several of the Inaba clan's attendants were helping carry the palanquin, black and beautifully decorated in gold, as they slowly made their way towards Michiko. Accompanying said group were two jōnin-level shinobi from her village, who bowed before the redhead as they came nearer.

"I apologise for the delay, Uzumaki-donō," Kammu, Kōnin's eldest son, apologised from within the box.

"Ah, water under the bridge, as they say, Kammu-donō. Now that you are all here, we may depart," she replied, not bothering to reassure the younger lord that she forgave them. They all knew she was annoyed and they were late on purpose. The only reason they were traveling together was because three years ago, Kōnin and Michiko had a row at the last heads meeting which resulted in the daimyō getting angry enough to order them to solve their issues and bury the hatchet between them. This was how they were showing the daimyō and people that they were on _good_ terms and not constantly at each other's throat.

Straightening her back, Michiko pivoted on her heel and without further ado began the journey back to their prefecture, where they would first drop off the Inaba at their castle before they could return to Uzushio. Of course, they would have to go at a snails pace to accommodate their non-ninja compadres, which was always the most annoying part of the whole experience. Or it would have been, normally; this time it was going to work in Michiko's favour.

—.—.—.—.—

The sun was dipping low into the horizon as they approached Urahama no sato. They would have another day's worth of walking before they reached Shimashiri, the prefecture's new capital and village at which they would be able to part ways with the Inaba clan. As things were right now, the group was making its way to the inn they always rested in whenever they returned from their yearly meeting in Asahama. The inn was owned and run by the Fujioka family, who greeted them at the entrance, bowing low before Michiko and the Inaba men, before stepping aside so they might all go inside.

Attendants made quick work of showing everyone to their room and storing the palanquin away. Food was delivered to their individual rooms, and Michiko ate hers with her shinobi, chatting amongst themselves pleasantly. When they finished and their trays were taken away, Michiko ordered them to enjoy their stay whilst still maintaining readiness in case something happened.

After bathing and working out their shifts, the redhead bid them all goodnight, as hers would be the earliest shift and then she made a show of looking like she went to sleep. All the while, she waited for most of her group's chakra signatures to settle as they fell asleep.

Once she was satisfied that all but Mamoru, one of the two jōnin originally escorting Kōnin and his son, had fallen prey to slumber, she snuck out of the inn, pulling the hood of her cloak further down her face as she walked towards the outskirts of the village where the only lights visible came from inside a busy pub.

She entered it without hesitation, and saw only one stool empty at the bar. She sat there and ordered a whole bottle of their best sake, indicating with her fingers that she would like two cups to accompany it.

"Sparing no expenses, Michiko-san," the person next to her said in a low voice.

"Well, you waited for quite some time. I thought it only fair that I make up for it," the female said simply, pouring sake in one of the cups when the bartender brought her order. He gave them both a funny look, but knew better than to ask questions, so he left. Pushing the filled cup towards her guest for the night, the Uzumaki went ahead and poured her own drink as well.

"I was surprised when you contacted me. It hasn't been all that long, so may I assume something happened?" the unknown inquired lightly, taking a sip from their drink before pausing to deliberate on its taste. After they deemed it acceptable, they drank without hesitation.

"Problem? Ah, more of a favour," Michiko replied, holding the bottle questioningly, filling it only when the cup was slid her way. "But before that, how are things in Ame nowadays? There has been a sudden ' _blackout_ ,' and people are asking questions. I won't deny my own curiosity."

The gloved hand once again picked up the cup and brought it up to take a drink, pausing more than strictly necessary before answering.

"There has been another revolt. This time is much larger than the last time—every one of them was killed. However, _he_ ordered the border security tightened to reduce the chance of people leaving or the information about Hanzō becoming public knowledge."

"The insurgents had better lay low, something like that is bound to affect morale, but it would be wiser to strike later. When _they_ become more confident in their position… though even then, these people are dangerous even by our standards." Michiko commented thoughtfully, filing away the information for later.

An agreeing hum was her response and the informant turned to face Michiko, allowing the redhead to catch a glimpse of slanted golden eyes, green hair and the smallest of scars bisecting the woman's lips. She was Ame no Midori, a woman declared an S-rank deserter by Ame, who in reality was anything but. She was one of the few people in the world possessing the rumoured crystal release and had been trained by Hanzō himself. She had been part of the original resistance which fought off the Akatsuki, but fled upon realising that she was no match for the one calling himself God of the new world. Her hatred for the group was only rivalled by her loyalty to her deceased leader, and she vowed to one day regain control of Ame and carry out Hanzō's wish for a peaceful country.

Midori featured in three bingo books: Ame, Tani and Suna's. All of them warned against close combat which could result in skin contact. Much like Hanzō, her body created an incredibly potent poison, only hers was released by her sweat glands as opposed to being found in her breath like the deceased man's.

The two females only knew of each other due to an ill-fated meeting in Tani no Kuni, where they were both after the same target. The difference was that Michiko only needed to kill the man and could bring any proof of his death, while Midori was there to cash in a bounty. Hence, they ended up joining forces to take him and his allies out. They parted not as friends but as contacts, with the redhead offering the woman missions in exchange for information about the goings-on in Ame, as well as a promise to keep the woman informed about Akatsuki activity on her end. The relationship embodied the old wisdom of 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'

However, this time it wasn't just information she wanted from the woman. It was a mission. Finishing their drink, Michiko paid and the two departed the bar for the surrounding forest, where the redhead finally pulled out a scroll from her cloak and tossed it to the green-haired woman.

"There are five missions inside with all the information you need to know. There is an A-rank, a B and an S rank. However, while completing these missions, I want you to do something for me and I shall treat it as another S-rank all on its own." Michiko declared, watching as the woman raised an eyebrow curiously. "There have been attacks targeting my shinobi. I want you to pose as one of my own and figure out who is behind this," she explained, bringing out another object from her cloak and tossing to Midori who easily caught it and pulled it up to identify it: an Uzushio headband.

Silence permeated the air as the two women analysed one another, before Midori got up to leave with an accepting nod serving as her parting words.

* * *

 **A/N: Who remembers what the 21st of March is? :D**


	39. Chinoike Blood

**A/N: Since today is meant to be Michiko's birthday I thought we could celebrate with an update!**

 **Beta: The lovely Illuminated**

* * *

Back in Uzushio, Michiko busily parried Kimimaro's hits as the boy ruthlessly attacked his surrogate mother, with bones forming from any location he deemed necessary and his feet and hands blurring through the Willow. The two had learned early on that normal metal didn't so much as leave a dent on his bones; more often than not, the bone was capable of shattering metal, as proven by the three polearms and two swords Michiko had to replace. However, chakra was an entirely different matter. A skilled wind user could infuse their weapons with wind-natured chakra that could crack the boy's bones, and Michiko's adamantine chains were similarly capable, which was what she was using right now against Kimimaro.

Sitting in place, unmoving, Michiko merely directed the six chains she had formed to intercept all of Kimimaro's attacks while he tried to figure away around them in order to get to the redhead. They had been doing this for quite some time, and had it not been for the boy's advanced regenerative properties he would have eventually left the training ground more purple than white.

—.—.—.—.—

October the tenth came and was nearly gone, as Naruto's sixth birthday party ended and people began taking their leave. Kakashi paid a courtesy visit, brought a gift and was forced to say happy birthday to the blond boy, only to end up being made into a human horse, before he finally escaped. Jiraiya couldn't come this time around, so he sent a huge, stuffed, plush-frog which made Kushina grumble for a while. Various clan heirs (Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji) came, both because they were Naruto's classmates and because he was the fourth Hokage's son and the godchild of one of the Sanin and Uzushio's leader, which was a bunch of tangled political clout that was more relevant to the clans than the children themselves. Anko and Guy came, stayed and provided their own brand of entertainment through their bickering, while the whole Uchiha main family made a point of coming. It was more because the families themselves were very close to one another than to make any sort of political statement, though that was happening anyway. Fugaku guilty enjoyed sending smug looks toward Hiashi when he dropped off his daughter, because of this.

In the end, after everyone slunk away, only Fugaku and his family remained. Mikoto and he decided that it would be pointless to wake up Sasuke at this point, and agreed to let him sleep at the Uzumaki residence. Seiichi joined Naruto and Sasuke in dreamland, Itachi and Kimimaro were leaning on each other, valiantly trying to stay awake and alert, Kushina and Mikoto were in their corner still gesturing animatedly to one another while chatting in hushed voices, leaving only Fugaku and Michiko while Ayaka saw to the children being washed and tucked in properly.

There wasn't much left to talk about after exhausting a lot of conversation topics during the party, but the duo didn't mind. The silence between them was neither strained nor awkward. It was just that, silence. A window facing the back garden was left open and a gentle breeze was bringing the smells of autumn into the house. The stars were also visible and shining in all their splendour; they were brighter and more beautiful in this world than any image Michiko recalled seeing in her past life.

Content was the feeling she was currently experiencing. The war was over, Kushina was alive, her sibling, son, godson and extended family were all safe and sound, Uzushio was doing remarkably well, all things considered, and right now she really didn't care about Zetsu, Obito or Kaguya. The future could be left for the future. Right now, the redhead was more focused on the present.

"Still a stargazer," Fugaku commented, breaking Michiko out of her daze. 'Funny,' she thought, 'I didn't even realise I was spacing out.' ' **You are always spacing out,** ' Kurama pointed out helpfully causing Michiko to roll her eyes. Then she realised that she was the only one who could hear him, and looked as though she was rudely dismissing the older male. Turning as red as her hair, she uttered an apology while putting on a show of looking bashful. Then, noting Fugaku wasn't saying anything but still looking at her, Michiko realised she had never actually replied.

"People often dismiss the beauty of the stars, since they are always there. But no matter how much I look at them, I still find them breathtaking." _'Wasn't that a cheesy reply.'_

Fugaku acknowledged her attempt by lightly scoffing. It wasn't an offensive, 'You are an imbecile,' sort of scoff. It was more in the neighbourhood of: 'You never change, and I give up on understanding you.' It was the kind of scoff Michiko had learned to interpret only because of how much time she had spent with the man over the years. They lapsed back into silence and the teen realised there _was_ something she wanted to discuss with Fugaku.

"Nee, Fugaku-oyaji," she prompted, waiting for the grunt confirming she had his attention. "What do you know about the Chinoike clan?" It was only because she was paying attention to him that she noticed the surprise which flashed briefly in his eyes.

"They were once a renowned clan, but fell out of grace and have never been heard off again." He answered her with a pensive look on his face as he ransacked his memories for more information.

"They had a doujutsu with powerful genjutsu abilities," he added, frown lines forming between his brows. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to be prepared, in case the relationship between our clans becomes a problem and they do something stupid." At her confession, Mikoto and Kushina stopped pretending that they weren't listening and were now blandly staring.

"What do you meant 'tebbane?" the other redhead said before anyone else, with a frown of her own marring her features.

"A few days ago, three people claiming to be all that remains of the Chinoike clan came to Uzushio seeking shelter, after learning about the tolerant view the village holds of kekkei genakai users. They brought up part of their clan's history, and seemed none too pleased when they mentioned the Uchiha being the ones hired to drive them out of Kaminari no Kuni. I don't want to be blindsided by them, should they have a problem with our clans' close relationship." Michiko explained, shifting when Kimimaro and Itachi came to stand by her, both more awake now than a few minutes ago and avidly listening.

"Only three?" Mikoto voiced what they all thought, with a note of sorrow in her voice. It never mattered what sort of relationship you my or may not have had with a certain clan, learning about another's demise will always elicit an uncomfortable feeling for those born to clans.

"Do you believe they will pose a threat?" Fugaku asked instead.

"Threat? I'd rather not think that, but what I would rather have happen and what reality is don't always align. It's not that they really did anything to warrant action against them."

"So, is it really a problem then?" Itachi asked, and Michiko could see it in his eyes: the honest 'innocent until proven guilty' mindset he had.

"No, they aren't a problem now…and I hope they never are, but the thing about emotions…they are a rather funny concept and wildly unbelievable. They're hurting and have hurt for a long time…The place they lived in was the Valley of Hell. It was anything but easy, if what I know about the place is true."

"You know it?" Kimimaro asked, and frankly, he was more interested in learning something new about Michiko, than he was about the clan's living conditions.

He wasn't raised in a pleasant environment either, and most of his clan was dead. If anything, he should have the most empathy towards the Chinoike, yet he felt the least towards them.

"It's akin to a story one tells to scare children out of bad behaviour in Yu no kuni." Ayaka's voice came from the other end of the room, slightly startling most of its inhabitants.

"Ah, I take it the boys are fast asleep?" Mikoto asked, as the eldest Uzumaki took a seat by the table they had all gathered around.

"Not even an explosion could wake them up," Ayaka confirmed.

"Could you possibly tell me more about their doujutsu?" Michiko probed Fugaku further, and the male gave a sigh at the request.

"I don't think there is very much to learn, certainly not from us. I believe our clan was called upon only because our sharingan could nullify their doujitsu's effects…Hmm, I might have to search in the archives for more information," the man said.

"Please do," Michiko asked, a contemplative look on her face.

—.—.—.—.—

Chinoike Joichiro seemed to be a man of his word and was determined to keep his promise to Michiko, whether that was because he feared some form of retaliation against his family, or simply because her wanted to begin providing for his family rather than depend on the monthly stipend offered for those out of commission. Either way, the still-too-thin man stood before Michiko, ready to receive a mission of any kind.

Normally, he should now go to the mission desk in order to receive whatever was available, as Michiko didn't ask for him personally. However, considering his circumstances and spotty health, the redhead wanted to see him herself when he entered the tower. _'And isn't this turning out to be a meeting for the awkward book,'_ she inwardly marvelled. The girl chose to simply scrutinise Joichiro while he stood unmoving, back ram-straight and chin slightly lifted. It seemed he did possess some of the self-assurance which came naturally to clan-born people proud of their heritage. It wasn't a bad trait to have.

"Joichiro-san," she finally addressed the man, "I hope you understand that I refuse to send an injured— _yes injured_ ," she said, when he wanted to interrupt. "Frankly, you and your family have gone through hell and back, and while I understand the village aid isn't exactly a fortune, you will also need to manage until you are deemed fully fit for duty. I will not send you out with an increased chance of you dying, especially as you are all those children have." The more she berated, the more he deflated, pride wounded but hiding it remarkably well. "With that said, you aren't exactly dying and I am in no position to turn away a willing shinobi— but B-ranks and above will be forbidden till your health improves. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am," he said surely, voice ringing strong and a happy light entering his eyes.

"Go to the mission desk, there is quite the selection of D and C-ranks available, even if they might be beneath your skill level. Also, since you seem eager, I want you to report to the examination station to have your skill level assessed. Heiwa will tell you where it is. Now get out of my office," she ordered, lips quirked in a smirk which Joichiro answered with his own before doing as instructed.

—.—.—.—.—

At least this time, Hiruko deigned to come to Uzushio for this meeting, even if they were holding it in yet another tea shop rather than a meeting room. _'Because, why use a room specially built for that purpose when you could impose on the local business owners and spend hours making sure the place is secure?'_

Alas, that was done with, and they were here, enjoying a pot of chamomile tea with an assortment of snacks. Michiko and Hiruko discussed the contents of the scroll he left her with last time. The scroll outlined the decision that the Yugakure council had reached and the impact it would have on the population. More specifically, it was about the village's desire to cease being a shinobi village and to instead become a resort of sorts. It was something the girl was more than willing to bet had to do with a certain group of merchants that saw an opportunity in Yugakure, like in many past villages across Yu no kuni, and had applied pressure until they gave in to their demands.

While things had been set in motion for this transition to occur for quite some time. Unsurprisingly, there were those who continued to voice their dissatisfaction, particularly those from the ninja district who would essentially lose their jobs and risk being unable to provide for their families. This would likely result in many turning to merchant work, that was both more dangerous and less respected by civilians and shinobi alike. This is where Michiko, or rather Uzushio, was meant to come in. Hiruko wished for Uzushio to take in those who wanted to maintain their shinobi lifestyles and his village was willing to pay to help make the transition possible. All she had to do was sign and sign the document.

Now, this had a few obvious advantages for Uzushio, namely an increase in their shinobi population that would reduce the strain on their forces, allowing for more mission assignments, more patrol rotations, and even the allocation of more bureaucratic positions that might allow Michiko to sleep for more than five hours a night.

Of course, as with anything in life, there were drawbacks to consider, and the most glaring one was the village security. These Yugakure ninja would have to be people willing to switch alliances not because their old home was gone or they ran away from it, but because it was no longer desirable to them. In this regard, Yugakure's shinobi would pose more of a security risk than the nuke-nins she had accepted over the years. There could also be a general lower morale if they were unhappy that they had to move and that would tend to lead to a decrease in performance and an increase in conflict as they sought outlets to relieve their pent-up emotions. Sometimes, Michiko wondered if it would have been better if she had never studied psychology in her past life. It only mades her triple doubt everything and overthink everyone's state of mind. For all she knew, maybe this whole transition would be seamless and everyone will end up happy! Or not.

The two village leaders leaned into the cushions of their chairs as Michiko digested the variables of Yugakure's proposition. She had of course discussed it with others: with Toshio, who helped her go over the finances aspect, Marisu who headed the hospital and the medical corps, the academy principal to see if the faculty and facility could deal with a such a sudden increase in students, T&I head Sato Tomone and jōnin commander Kahyō, to go over the logistics of the whole thing and what they would need to do to protect themselves against a backlash if the whole thing blew up in their face. Hell, Michiko had even spoken with the chief engineer for most village reconstruction to examine potential new housing sites and costs.

There were also the more minor things such as clan compound allocations, as two of Yugakure's clans had expressed a desire to move, should the village renounce its shinobi ways. One of them, the Kama clan, was the more problematic of the bunch, as it, like Konohagakure's Inuzuka clan, heavily relied on quadruped partners. It meant that not only would they be moving, but so would their _bears_. That lead into the whole ecological niche bullshit that wasn't really bullshit, because ecological systems were important- while bears did exist in Uzu, they were not a very prominent species. More importantly, the clan would require a lot of open space that could be used for things such as training grounds, since they were shinobi. Unfortunately, the location most likely to suit the clan's needs would be at the mountain border, close to the still-developing Inari shrine, and Michiko doubted the priests and priestesses would really like encountering bears as they went about their business. However, the redhead did like the idea of infiltrators encroaching upon a momma bear's territory. If all of this later lead to the village needing to expand beyond its borders, then Michiko would have to deal with the Inaba clan and wouldn't Kōnin just love that?

The redhead proceeded to take a deep breath and exhale slowly as she counted backwards from ten. She really was building herself up to a panic and being more than a tad ridiculous, and that could not be done before a foreign official. Really, it should come as no surprise to people that Kurama preferred to tune out her thoughts.

Right now, Michiko was more curious to learn a more exact number that she should be expecting should she sign the contract, the amount of money that Yugakure would be able to give in order to cover the building expenses, and most importantly, the total separation from Yugakure that Michiko expected from his shinobi the moment they swore to serve Uzushio. The girl had no intention of sharing, even if Hiruko gave his word that his village no longer wished to deal with anything even remotely shinobi-related. Old habits died hard, and who said one needed to be a ninja in order to seek and take advantage of possible information leaks? Information was often worth more than gold, and she wasn't willing to just trust his word on this matter.

What the Uzumaki wanted was something that clearly stated that any form of interference from Yugakure in regards to their ex-shinobi would be seen as a breach of their treaty, entitling Uzushio to launch an attack. The current treaty between the two villages stated things just so, something which was remarkably not clearly outlined in the document Hiruko had presented her today.

When they got the heavy politics mostly out of the way, the two remained to enjoy their newest pot of tea, this time a classic green. They moved on to lighter topics to fill in the quiet, such as "what my wife threatened to do to me should I mention her pregnancy again," "my little brother discovered that you can write with ink on any surface," and the best one yet, "I told the children in the playground that they could do whatever they wanted to my assistant —Toshio— and for a whole day they followed him around everywhere."

Then, just as they poured the last of the tea, Michiko inquired about the one thing still bugging her.

"Hiruko-san," she began; the shift in her tone made him look up. "What do you know of the Valley of Hell?" Michiko carefully watched him and knew she wasn't just imagining the way his eyes flashed.

"Beyond the folk tales you mean?" he questioned in the silence which settled over the two as he carried on drinking his tea.

"Yes," the redhead replied, noting the pause in between his replies which he used to look at her contemplatively. Eventually, after placing his cup gingerly beck on the table he leaned further into his chair, his hands hidden in the sleeves of his kimono shirt.

"Does this have to do with the Chinoike clan?" he asked instead, and Michiko, embarrassingly was unable to mask her surprise, which elicited a dry chuckle from Hiruko. "I am not completely unaware of the of those which live in my country," he told her, with a knowing glint in his eyes. Snapping back to reality, the redhead schooled her features and prevented herself from automatically correcting the man; daimyō owned countries.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to insinuate that. I merely thought they lived in total seclusion."

"They did," he confirmed, though Michiko did not miss the use of past tense. "However, Yugakure was aware of the clan and kept an eye on their actions, though we chose to respect their wishes and not interact with them."

"Because of their kekkei genkai?" Once again, Hiruko's eyes flashed and narrowed just a fraction while he kept his silence. "You say your village kept an eye on them and you referred to them in the past tense. Would you mind revealing to me when their clan…got wiped out?" Michiko said, tilting her head slightly and pretending to be unsure of the outcome.

"Clan is a strong word," the man said, eyes maintaining contact with Michiko's. "Their numbers have dwindled significantly over the years…I'm not certain if there were even a dozen left when they were attacked."

"Ho? They were attacked?"

"We inferred as much," he replied succinctly, lips drawing in a thin line.

"If you don't mind Hiruko-san…how did you reach this conclusion?" the redhead questioned, looking at the older man expectantly.

"You should know that when one digs for answers, they must be prepared to deal with the consequences of learning the answers," he replied slowly, looking Michiko in the eyes as he did, a stern expression in place.

"Is that a threat?" she asked just as slowly, enunciating each syllable carefully as her expression darkened and chakra rose to the surface, just enough to cause the ends of her hair to raise slightly.

"No. Advice, since it is _I_ that came to you looking for help," he explained before quietly rising and dusting off his clothes. "I must return to my village; there is much work yet to be completed and I can't be gone for long." Pausing at the door, he gave Michiko one last look: "Have a good day, Michiko-san, and thank you for the tea."

When he was gone and she could no longer see his retreating figure, Michiko allowed herself a moment to close her eyes and contemplate everything she had learned in this meeting. Tilting her head backwards, she opened her eyes only to stare at the white ceiling of the tea house, her mind formulating her next moves while maintaining a 'close eye' on the retreating Yu delegation via her chakra sensing.

—.—.—.—.—

"He knows something," Toshio declared after hearing the way that the meeting between Michiko and Yugakure's leader had proceeded. "Question is whether or not you want to keep pursuing this. I don't think the Chinoike will pose a problem, despite our relationship with the Uchiha clan."

"No shit," the female swore, her irritation level high as she filed the documents according to their labels and wondering, not for the first time, _'Why aren't politics and life more straightforward. What happened to the good old fighting your way through things?'_ "And I don't believe they will be a problem either. Joichiro-san is making remarkable progress and is determined to adapt, and while the children are more reserved, their teachers tell me they are trying to adjust to their classmates with Akio especially making a lot of progress. That's not the problem," she explained, sighing in exhaustion as she rested her head in her hands. "What bothers me is whoever chose to _hunt them_. I want to find out who did it, why…and to put a stop to them." If the girl stamped the next document harder than strictly necessary, well, nobody was going to comment on the fact.

—.—.—.—.—

Michiko wasn't certain what to think about Yugakure when she stepped foot inside the village, except for the fact that she was certainly not expecting all the construction occurring throughout various parts of it. It actually reminded her quite a bit of Uzushio, especially in the first few years before construction began dwindling down.

Allowing herself to be escorted to their administrative building, Michiko took note of the people roaming the streets and of they way that some would stare and whisper amongst themselves at the sight of her and her bodyguards. No matter, things like that could wait. The Uzumaki was here for far more important things than village gossip, she reminded herself when she entered Hiruko's office.

Once the double doors closed behind her, the redhead walked towards the man while pulling an ornate scroll from her sleeve and handing it to him. As she did, she told him:

"Hiruko-san, you said that when one digs for answers, then one must be prepared to face the consequences. Well, I want to know." The silence which fell upon them was thick enough to be physically cut with a kunai, until the male eventually broke it by loudly sighing as he leaned back in his chair, motioning for Michiko to take a seat as well.

"Very well, Michiko-san," he said after another stretch of silence that he spent analysing her. "What do you know of a man called En Oyashiro?"

* * *

 **A/N: Eh, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. What do you think will happen next? XD The next two weeks are exam period for me so I won't be writing but hopefully I'll resume writing around easter time. Till next time! Ja ne~**


	40. What happened

Hello dearies. I owe you all an apology for the long period of inactivity. Laziness, job, university and personal matter are what I'm blaming it on and let us leave it at that.

However, one of the reason why _this story_ , in particular, has not been updated is that I don't like where it is going at the moment due to how I have written it so far. When I first began writing Uzushiogakure Reborn it was one idea, but as a year flew by, in my head the story became a whole thing altogether. The plot grew, I kept coming up with more and more lore and frankly, I did not have the proper foreshadowing placed in the right places because it came to me too late. Now I have often (as my oldest readers can attest) rewritten old chapters and re-uploaded them. But frankly that is far more tedious and most people won't go back to re-read it.

Not to mention that this is a story about re-building Uzushiogakure after the _mysterious_ (aka Kishi never cared before but when he introduced it never bothered to give more details) destruction of it. And I glossed over it so horribly! Despite it needing to be a main focus of the damn story.

Another thing that bothered me is Michiko. Now I actually love Michiko. I do. Her and my harry potter oc (Athene) are my main babies and their stories (at least in my head) are by far the most developed and lore filled ones. However, while I love SI OCs, I decided, as I actually did with Athene in the past, to remove the SI aspect (now SI means self-insert, but I never treated Michiko as an actual I am inserting myself in the story, but used it in the here is an oc originally from our world that gets reincarnated).

Therefore I decided to fully re-write and re-upload the story! (this is the moment you may all throttle me)

I can't begin to thank you all enough for the support you gave me since I began this story. YOur comments and encouragements never failed to lift my spirits and get me through a rough patch in life. _**This is why I am doing this**_. I have much to learn about writing but I still want to deliver a good story. And I can't do that with Uzushiogakure the way it is. I WILL finish this story. Just not this version. I have uploaded the prologue of the new version (also titled Uzushiogakure Reborn) and I hope, if you liked this story, you might forgive me and embark on this journey once more with me. If you are fed up then I thank you for your support thus far :D and will maybe see you in a different story. (I will however be focusing on Uzushiogakure and not the other ones)

Either way, this version will no longer receive updates. The new one will. If anyone is interested in the sort of things I have in store for Uzushioakure Reborn you may go check out my deviant art page (username: Mewrlise) and I have images with explanations for the story (it does mean spoilers though) and keep adding more commissions there.

You may also have a look at this: add https: before the double / then write: stash (remove all pauses) then /01fq48aoc8al It is a file with the lore of Uzu no Kuni I am writing up that will eventually be posted on deviantart.


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